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KROM     IHK    I.IIiKARY    OK 


DR.     FRANCIS     LIEBER, 

I'rofossor  uf  History  ami  Law  in  Columbia  College,  New  yi;rk. 


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THi;   GIFT   OF 


MICHAEL     REESE, 

Of  San  Fraiu'isia. 
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MILITARY    MEMOIRS 


FIELD  MARSHAL 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON, 


CAPTAIN  MOYLE  SHERKR. 


at  TWO  VOLUMES. 


VOL.  L 


ROBERT  DESILVER,  110,  WALNUT  STREET. 


1886. 


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i/^4  $^\ 


PREFACE. 


Seventeen  years  have  passed  since,  upon  the  plain  of 
Waterloo,  the  illustrious  subject  of  this  memoir  crowned 
his  military  fame ;  and,  by  one  surpassing  victory,  closed 
his  vast,  various,  and  splendid  services  in  the  field. 

Of  all  the  wars  in  which  he  was  engaged,  peace,  "  the 
mother  and  the  nurse  of  all  that  is  good  for  man,"  was  the 
blessed  end ! 

The  difficulty  of  doing  any  justice  in  such  narrow 
limits  to  the  development  of  a  military  character  so  emi- 
nent and  unrivalled  as  that  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 
has  been  severely  felt  by  the  Author.  To  produce  a 
closely  digested  narrative  of  his  achievements,  suitable 
for  the  general  reader,  is  the  object  of  these  volumes. 

The  task  has  been  laborious ;  for  the  Author  had  to 
read,  compare,  and  reconcile  many  and  various  relations 
of  the  events  which  he  describes ;  and  to  extract  and  con- 
dense the  facts  which  they  contain.  He  owes  full  acknow- 
ledgments to  the  Histories  of  Colonel  Jones,  Mr.  Southey, 
and  Colonel  Napier ;  and  especial  thanks  to  some  private 
friends,  for  the  kindness  with  which  they  have  afforded 
him  information. 

For  the  opinions,  military  or  political,  which  may  be 
expressed  or  implied  in  these  volumes,  as  well  as  for  their 
general  style,  the  Author  alone  is  responsible. 

The  work  being  of  a  professional  nature,  that  inter- 
ference which  is  generally  understood  to  fall  within  the 
province  of  an  Editor,  has  not,  in  the  present  instance, 
been  exercised  by  Dr.  Lardner. 

London,  June  23, 1832. 


CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  I. 


CHAP.  I. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington's  first  Appointments. — His  first  Service  in  Flan 
ders. — The  Retreat  from  HoUancl. — Observations  upon  that  Campaign. 
— On  the  British  Army. — The  Duke  sails  for  India Page  7 

CHAP.  II. 
Military  Aspect  of  India. — Political  State. — ^The  War  with  Tippoo  Sul- 
tan.— Assembly  of  the  British  Army. — Charge  of  Colonel  Weilesley. — 
March  of  the  Array. — Afiair  of  Malavelly.— Aflair  of  Posts  on  invest- 
ing Seringapatam 13 

CHAP.  HI. 
Siege  of  Seringapatam.— The  Storm  and  Capture.— Colonel  Weilesley 
appointed  Governor ^ 

CHAP.  IV. 

Colonel  Wellesley's  Service  against  Dhoondia,  a  Leader  of  Predatory 
Horse. — Is  promoted  to  the  Bank  of  General. — Takes  the  Field  against 
the  Mahrattas. — Various  Operations. — ^The  Battle  of  Assaye. — Peace. 
— Leaves  India '30 

CHAP.  V. 
Sir  Arthur  Weilesley  returns  to  England. — Accompanies  the  Expedition 
to  Copenhagen. — Napole<Mi. — His  Designs  on  Spain  and  on  Portugal. — 
His  Measures 44 

CHAP.  VI. 
Tlie  Rising  of  the  Spanish  People. — Scenes  at  Madrid  and  in  the  Prov- 
V    inces 53 

CHAP.  VII. 
The  Affairs  of  Spain. — Her  first  Reverses  in  the  Field. — ^The  Rising  in 
Portugal. — ^The  Expedition  under  Sir  Arthur  Weilesley 60 

CHAP.  VIII. 
Sir  Arthur  Weilesley  lands  in  Portugal. — Operations  of  his  Army. — Com- 
bat of  Roli^a.— Battle  of  Vimeiro.— Convention  of  Cintra 66 

CHAP.  IX. 

Sir  Arthur  Weilesley  returns  to  England  to  attend  the  Court  of  ln(]uiry. 
— Pnueeds  again  to  Portugal  the  following  Spring. — His  Reception  at 
Lisbon.— Retrospect  of  Spanish  Affairs Tl 

CHAP.  X. 

The  Campaign  of  Sir  John  Moore 86 

A  2 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  XI. 

C!orunna  and  Ferrol  surrender  to  the  French. — Notice  of  Romans. — 
Soult  marches  to  invade  Portugal. — His  Operations  on  the  Frontier. — 
Combats  with  the  Spaniards. — Combats  with  the  Portuguese. — Cap- 
ture of  Oporto. — Retrospect  of  Transactions  in  Portugal. — Defeat  of 
the  Spaniards  in  La  Mancha. — Second  Siege  and  Fall  of  Zaragoza    98 

CHAP.  XII. 
Notice  of  the  War  in  Catalonia. — Transactions  in  Portugal  and  the  South 
of  Spain. — The  Portuguese  Army  placed  under  a  British  Commander. 
— The  Spaniards  defeated  at  Medellin  and  at  Ciudad  Real 109 

CHAP.  XIII. 
Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  marches  against  Soult. — Passes  the  Douro. — Re- 
takes Oporto. — Delivers  the  Northern  Provinces  of  Portugal  from  the 
Presence  of  the  French , 119 

CHAP.  XIV. 

State  of  the  War  in  Gallicia  and  the  Asturias. — Position  of  \'ictor. — Sir 
Arthur  Wellesley  marches  to  the  Tagus. — Encamps  at  Abrantes. — 
Advances  into  Spain 127 

CHAP.  XV. 

The  Battle  of  Talavera.— The  Arrival  of  Soult  at  Plasencia.— The 
Movements  of  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley. — The  Spaniards  beaten  at  Arzo- 
bisko. — Venegas  defeated  at  Almonacid 136 

CHAP.  XVI. 

Observations  on  the  Campaign  of  Talavera. — ^The  Retreat  of  Sir  Arthur 
Wellesley  to  the  Frontier  of  Portugal. — The  Dispatch  of  Lord  Welles- 
ley concerning  this  Movement. — 1'he  Army  cantoned  near  the  Guadi- 
ana. — The  Sickness  of  the  Troops. — The  Spaniards  beaten  at  Ocana 
and  Alba  de  Tormes. — Remarks  upon  their  Disasters. — The  Guerrillas. 
— Notice  of  Lord  Wellington's  Movements. — The  Army  breaks  up 
from  the  Guadiana 149 

CHAP.  XVII. 

Lord  Wellington  is  appointed  Marshal-general  of  the  Lusitanian  Forces. 
— Progress  of  the  War  in  Spain. — Opinions  in  England  concerning  the 
Defence  of  Portugal. — Position  of  the  Allies. — Conduct  of  Lord  Wel- 
lington.— Assembly  of  the  Army  of  Invasion  under  Massena 161 

CHAP.  XVIII. 

The  Advance  of  Massena. — ^The  Siege  and  Capture  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo. 
— The  Invasion  of  Portugal. — The  sudden  Fall  of  Almeida. — The  Dis- 
positions of  Wellington. — The  Battle  of  Busaco 171 

CHAP.  XIX. 

Massena  turns  the  Position  of  Busaco. — Retreat  of  the  Allies. — ^The  In- 
habitants on  the  Line  of  March  retire  with  the  Troops. — Massena 
halts  before  the  Lines  of  Torres  Vedras. — His  Hospitals  at  Coimbra 
are  taken. — He  falls  back  upon  Santarem. — Lord  Wellington  ad- 
vances   ,   181 


MBLITARY  MEMOIRfi  ^ 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON. 


CHAPTER  L 


THE  DUKE  OF  Wellington's  first  appointments.  —  his  first  service 

IN     FLANDERS.  —  THE     RETREAT     FROM     HOLLAND.  —  OBSERVATIONS 

UPON   THAT   CAMPAIGN — ON    THE  BRITISH    ARMY. THE    DUKE  SAILS 

FOR    INDIA. 

The  honorable  Arthur  Wellesley,  now  field-marshal  of  Eng- 
land, and  duke  of  Wellington,  a  younger  son  of  the  late  earl 
of  Mornington,  and  a  brother  of  tlie  present  marquis  Wellesley, 
received  his  first  commission  as  an  ensign  of  infantry  in  1787. 
He  was  then  in  his  eighteenth  year,  and  had  been  regularly 
educated  for  the  profession  of  his  choice.  He  studied  for  a  time 
at  the  military  academy  of  Angers  in  France,  whither,  at  an 
early  age,  he  was  prudently  removed  from  Eton,  where  science 
is  not  taught. 

As  subaltern  and  captain  he  served  both  in  the  cavalry  and 
infantry,  and  enjoyed  the  rare  advantage  of  an  early  acquaint- 
ance with  the  field  duties  of  botli  those  arms. 

In  the  spring  of  1793  he  was  promoted  to  a  majority  in  the 
33d  regiment,  and  was  advanced  to  the  lieutenant-colonelcy  of 
that  corps,  by  purchase,  in  tlie  autumn  of  tlie  same  year. 

A  young  man,  in  tjie  command  of  a  fine  regiment,  ho  sailed 
upon  his  first  service  from  the  Cove  of  Cork  in  the  month  of 
May,  1794. 

The  corps  landed  at  Ostend  in  the  latter  end  of  June,  and 
was  already  in  garrison,  when  lord  Moira  (witli  the  troops 
originally  destined  for  a  chivalrous  but  unwise  attempt  m 
Bntany)  arrived  at  that  place,  to  hold  it  as  a  point  of  support 
for  the  allied  army  in  Flanders. 

The  enemy,  however,  was  already  in  possession  of  Ypres  on 
the  one  side,  and  of  Bruges  on  tlie  otlier.  Near  the  former 
place  the  Austrian  general,  Clairfait,  had  just  sustained  three 
successive  defeats,  and  had  retired  wpn  Ghent : — Walmoden, 
the  Hanoverian  commander,  being  thus  compelled  to  evacuate 
Bruges,  had  marched  to  join  him. 


8  MILITAUy  MEMOIRS  OF 

That  brave  prince,  the  duke  of  York,  whose  misfortune  it 
was  to  have  a  command  so  ill-defined,  that  it  would  have  per- 
plexed a  much  older  and  a  far  more  experienced  leader,  was, 
as  a  consequence  of  these  defeats,  driven  from  his  position  at 
Tournay,  and  placed  in  circumstances  very  critical  and  dis- 
heartening. 

In  this  state  of  aifaics  lord  Moira  called  a  council  of  war ;  and 
it  was  there  agreed,  that  the  mere  defence  of  Ostend,  to  which 
object  his  orders  confined  him,  was  not  of  so  great  importance 
as  the  immediate  succor  of  the  duke  of  York.  Ostend  was 
evacuated  on  the  29th  of  June.  With  about  eight  thousand 
men  lord  Moira  marched  by  Bruges  (from  which  place  the 
French  retired  on  his  approach)  to  Ghent.  On  the  same  day 
the  garrison  under  colonel  Vyse  embarked  with  such  order 
and  expedition,  that  the  town  was  clear  both  of  troops  and  stores 
before  sunset.  •  This  brigade  proceeded  to  the  Scheldt,  and, 
disembarking  on  the  banks  of  that  river,  jomed  the  camp  of  the 
duke  of  York  before  Antwerp. 

It  was  here  that  lieutenant-colonel  Wellesley,  who  accom- 
panied his  regiment  by  sea  from  Ostend,  first  saw  an  army  in 
the  field.  It  was  at  this  moment,  and  upon  this  theatre  of  war, 
where  there  was  no  sound  but  of  reverses,  and  no  prospect 
but  one  dreary  with  expected  disappointments,  that  the  con- 
queror in  so  many  battles  made  his  first  essay  in  arms. 

Here  he  received  his  first  lessons  in  practical  warfare,  and 
here  obtained  that  early  notice  and  early  praise,  which  bestow 
confidence,  and  which  animate  ambition. 

In  the  formal  and  stationary  camps,  and  in  the  confined  and 
chilling  operations  of  this  defensive  campaign,  there  were  few 
opportunities  of  distinction ;  yet  some  occurred,  and  they  were 
eagerly  improved.  Lieutenant-colonel  Wellesley  commanded 
the  3.3d  regiment  in  every  affair  in  which  it  was  engaged. 
On  the  river  Neethe ;  in  a  warm  afiair  near  the  village  of 
Boxtel ;  and  in  a  hot  skirmish  on  the  Waal,  it  did  good  service. 

The  allied  army  was  not  in  strength  to  face  the  weighty 
masses  of  the  French  in  battle ;  but  the  British  posts  were  oc- 
casionally disturbed  ;  and  to  secure  and  preserve  their  commu- 
nications some  fighting  was  necessary.  In  the  affairs  alluded 
to,  our  young  commander  was  not  unobserved.  At  the  close  of 
the  campaign  he  was  selected  by  general  David  Dundas  to  cover, 
with  the  brig£ide  to  which  his  regiment  was  then  attached,  the 
memorable  retreat  from  Holland:  no  mean  distinction;  for 
Dundas  was  an  officer  of  high  reputation,  a  strict  disciplinarian, 
and  an  intrepid  soldier. 

It  was  in  the  middle  of  Januarj'  that  this  movement  was  de- 
cided on ;  for  two  months  previous  the  service  had  been  trying. 
Botli  officers  and  soldiers  were  exhausted  by  continual  fatigues ; 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  9 

they  had  tx»  support  the  rigors  of  winter,  and  long  nights  of 
ceaseless  watching,  without  the  clothing  or  the  comforts  suited 
to  that  cold  climate  and  to  the  inclement  season. 

The  sufferings  on  the  retreat  were  yet  more  severe.  The 
route  from  the  frozen  banks  of  the  Lech  to  those  of  the  Yssel 
lay  through  the  dreaiy  and  inhospitable  provinces  of  Gueldro- 
land  and  Over- Yssel.  The  way  was  over  desert  and  flat  heaths 
there  were  but  few  houses  on  tlie  route,  and  these  scattered 
singly  or  in  small  villages,  or  in  mere  hamlets,  affording  a  set 
dom  and  insufficient  cover  for  the  troops.  It  was  a  hard  frost : 
the  wheel-tracks  were  covered  with  snow;  and  bitter  winds 
and  blinding  storms  of  sleet  blew  keenly  from  the  north-east, 
directly  meeting  them  as  they  marched.  If  tlie  fatigued  soldier 
reposed  too  long,  drowsiness  would  steal  over  him ;  and  if  not 
roused  and  urged  forward  on  his  road,  he  slept  the  sleep  of 
death.  Such  casualties  were  numerous.  Under  these  circum- 
stances no  common  zeal  and  activity  were  necessary  in  covering 
the  retreat  The  command  of  the  rear-guard  was  a  post  of 
honor :  it  was  filled  with  credit,  and  stamjwd  lieutenant-colonel 
Wellesley  then  as  a  man  of  promise.  Such  was  the  rude  expe- 
rience of  his  first  campaign ;  a  campaign,  however,  pregnant 
with  useful  lessons.  It  had  been  carried  on  by  councils  of  war, 
— divided  councils ; — a  campaign  where  the  talents  and  cour- 
age of  the  generals  were  paralyzed  for  want  of  men,  materiel, 
and  money,  and  no  less  for  want  of  well-defined  commands,  and 
full  powers  of  action.  Clairfait,  the  Austrian,  was  both  able 
and  brave ;  Walmoden  of  Hanover  was  a  man  highly  consider- 
ed ;  and  the  British  prince,  though  young  and  of  no  experience, 
was  full  of  ardor  and  spirit,  and  was  not  without  firm  and  intel- 
ligent advisers. 

But  in  this  war,  from  the  moment  that  Prussia  entered  Poland, 
the  motives  of  all  the  continental  allies  became  suspected,  and 
the  popularity  of  their  cause  in  the  Netherlands  soon  expired. 
When  the  inhabitants  clearly  saw  the  inability  to  protect  them, 
they  became  at  first  fearful,  then  wearied,  and  at  length  hostile ; 
a  consequence  that  in  no  theatre  of  war  should  ever  cause  sur- 
prise, and  is  rarely  a  theme  for  any  just  reproach.  For  the  ir- 
ritated feelings  of  a  retiring  and  mortified  soldiery  some  allow- 
ance may  be  made ;  but  the  abuse  poured  out  in  England,  at 
that  pcrial,  upon  the  people  of  Flanders  and  Holland  was  bitter 
aad  unmerited. 

Notliing  but  a  sacred  love  of  liberty,  or  a  love  for  tlie  existing 
government  so  strong  as  to  supply,  if  ptissible,  its  place,  or  such 
a  dread  and  hatred  of  the  invader  as  prompts  all  sacrifice  for  liis 
exDulsion,  will  ever  engage  the  peaceful  dwellers  in  towns  and 
villages  in  the  toil  and  peril  of  a  present  and  protracted  warfare. 
Under  all  governments  the  smith  plies  his  anvil,  the  rustic  fol- 


10'  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

lows  his  plow,  the  citizen  opens  his  shop  in'the  morning  and 
counts  his  gains  in  the  evening ;  and  all  these  ask  but  to  per- 
form their  daily  tasks,  and  eat  their  daily  bread  in  peace.  They 
ask  individual  liberty,  and  personal  repose.  It  is  true  that  the 
people  of  the  Netherlands  had  shouted  round  the  state  coach  of 
the  emperor  that  very  spring  at  Brussels.  The  pageantry  of 
the  mauguration  of  a  duke  of  Brabant  had  amused  their  eyes, 
and  cheated  them  of  a  few  cheers;  but  events  soon  showed  the 
weakness  of  their  CiEsar,  and  in  the  moment  of  trial  they  for- 
sook him.  The  Dutch  had  more  to  contend  for,  and  were,  at 
first,  in  earnest ;  but  they,  too,  felt  their  own  weakness ;  they 
saw  that  of  the  allies ;  and  they  were  hopeless  of  any  effectual 
resistance.  Moreover,  as  a  maritime  nation,  they  had  always  a 
jealousy  of  the  English,  and  this  prevented  the  cordiality  of  a 
generous  co-operation.  The  French,  for  which  they  may  thank 
the  coarse  policy  of  their  enemies,  were  all  imited :  they  had 
numbers  and  energy ;  and,  flushed  with  the  triumph  of  Fleurus, 
they  were  not  to  be  resisted  by  a  motley  army  of  jealous  allies, 
acting  amid  a  people  indifferent  to  their  success.  The  English 
evacuated  Holland,  execrating  the  inhabitants ;  and  the  Hol- 
landers saw  them  depart  with  no  equivocal  expressions  of  their 
dislike. 

Notwithstanding  all  their  sufferings,  the  English  soldiers  re- 
turned home  in  good  heart ;  satisfied  that  they  had  maintained 
the  national  character  for  true  valor  on  every  occasion  that  of- 
fered for  its  display. 

They  returned,  too,  with  a  feeling  about  the  bonnets  rouges 
and  sans-culottes  of  republican  France,  diifering  little  from  the 
prejudice  of  their  forefathers  against  the  wooden  shoes  and  soup 
maigre  of  her  monarchy.  Well  for  England  that  they  did. 
By  this  feeling,  conspiring  with  the  old  national  antipathies,  and 
combined  with  the  good  sense  and  right  judgment  of  the  re- 
flecting, the  pestilence  of  the  licentious  and  infidel  sentiments 
which,  at  that  period,  poisoned  the  whole  atmosphere  of  France, 
was  stayed  within  the  confines  of  her  own  conquests. 

That  English  spirit  was  the  safeguard  of  the  people  from  the 

corrupting  and  inflammatory  language  of  those  very  levellers 

who  were  soon  after  trodden  under  foot  by  the  iron  heel  of  a 

iflitary  despot ;  an  idol  of  their  own  raising,  and  the  object  of 

a  slavish  though  splendid  worship. 

That  spirit  enabled  England  to  carry  through,  with  perse- 
verance and  patience,  a  long  and  glorious  war ; — a  war,  not  as 
many  perversely  contend,  for  the  weak  cause  and  the  weak 
house  of  Bourbon,  but  for  her  own  sacred  institutions. 

Somewhere  the  battle  must  have  been  fought ;  and  if  Spain 
and  the  Netherlands  had  not  furnished  fields  for  the  contest,  it 
must  sooner  or  later  have  been  fought  upon  her  own  green  hilla 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  11 

at  home ;  and  the  pendants  of  her  gallant  fleets,  instead  of  fly- 
ing in  constant  triumph  upon  the  far  ocean,  must  have  been 
drooping  on  the  dull  watch  in  sight  of  her  own  shores.  That 
spirit  in  her  fleets  and  armies,  under  the  guidance  of  such  in- 
struments as  Grod  gave  us  in  their  leaders,  has  raised  England 
to  that  pinnacle  of  power,  wealth,  and  influence,  to  which  she 
has  now  attained,  ajid  from  which  nothing  but  suicidal  folly  can 
cast  her  down. 

But  we  return  to  the  steps  of  one  who  has  been  honored, 
above  all  other  instruments,  individually,  in  bringing  about  these 
great  results : — be  it  remembered,  too,  not  as  an  aspiring  usurper, 
but  as  the  free-bom  general  of  a  constitutional  army,  as  the 
loyal  subject  of  an  English  king,  and  the  faithful  servant  of  the 
English  people. 

ouch  was  the  aspect  of  our  continental  relations  at  the  period 
just  mentioned,  that,  for  a  time,  the  British  soldier  could  see  no 
field  in  all  Europe  whereon  to  display  his  enterprise  and  win 
renown. 

Short,  however,  as  was  this  campaign  in  Flanders,  though 
there  was  no  battle,  and  but  little  fighting,  it  had  shown  to 
Wellesley  a  something  of  war  upon  the  grand  scale ;  for  it  was 
in  an  army  of  sixty-eight  battalions,  and  eighty  squadrons,  that 
he  had  served.  He  had  seen  troops  of  various  nations,  differing 
in  tlieir  discipline,  their  habits,  their  costume,  and  their  aspect. 
He  had  heard  those  grand  soimds  with  which  he  was  to  have 
so  long  and  so  glorious  a  familiarity  in  after-life :  the  distant 
boom  of  the  hostile  gun ;  the  nigh  thimder  of  batteries  of  can- 
non ;  the  rolling  of  musketry ;  the  tread  of  columns ;  the 
trampling  of  stiuadrons,  and  the  voice  of  the  trumpet  There 
was  yet  another  sound  he  had  heard, — the  dauntless  cheers,  the 
loud  hurrah  of  tliose  soldiers  whom,  under  happier  auspices,  and 
on  a  more  glorious  tlieatre  of  action,  he  was  so  often  to  lead 
against  the  enemies  of  his  country,  and  to  guide  to  victory  and 
glory. 

While  he  had  witnessed  the  excellent  spirit  and  brave  bear- 
ing of  English  soldiers,  he  had  also  marked  their  defects,  and 
listened,  probably,  to  the  complaints  made  agamst  their  disci- 
pline, interior  economy,  and  temper,  by  their  Austrian  allies, 
with  no  light  or  inattentive  ear.  The  Austrians  in  that  cam- 
paign reproached  the  British  for  being  disdainful ;  admitted  that 
they  were  brave,  and  ready  for  all  great  occasions,  but  com- 
plamed  that  they  were  indolent,  negligent,  and  indiflferent  in 
the  discliargc  of  all  those  minor  calls, — those  labors,  fatigues, 
and  pickets,  in  which  the  duties  of  a  prolonged  warfare  mainly 
consist.  High  courage  was,  at  that  time,  as  always,  the  great 
distinction,  the  brilliant  merit  of  our  soldiery ;  but  the  system 
of  our  regimental  economy  was  comparatively  bad ;  all  our 


12  BIILITABY  MEMOIBS  OP 

military  institutions  were  defective  and  vicious;  few  depart- 
ments of  the  army  were  conducted  with  intelligence,  some  with 
a  known  want  of  integrity  :  the  commissariat  and  medical  de- 
partments were  notoriously  incapable ;  nor  were  the  talents  and 
acquirements  necessary  for  the  prompt  and  intelligent  discharge 
of  their  important  duties  commonly  tbund  even  among  oflBcers 
of  the  general  staff 

Too  much  praise  can  never  be  assigned  to  the  wise  regula- 
tions by  which  the  late  duke  of  York  labored  for  years,  at  a 
subsequent  period,  to  remedy  these  sad  evils,  and  great  was  the 
improvement  he  effected ;  but  it  is  to  the  preparatory  system 
and  discipline  of  a  Dundas,  a  Cathcart,  and  a  Moore,  and  to  the 
large  and  practical  application  of  their  principles  by  a  Welling- 
ton, that  we  owe  the  present  character,  efficiency,  and,  above 
all,  the  present  &me  of  the  English  army. 

On  the  return  of  the  troops  from  HoUand,  the  33d  regiment, 
as  soon  as  it  was  reported  fit  for  service,  was  ordered  upon 
an  expedition  then  fitting  out  against  the  West  Indies,  and 
sailed,  early  in  1795,  with  the  fleet  under  the  orders  of  admiral 
Christian. 

The  fleet  made  several  attempts  to  put  out  to  sea,  but  was 
repeatedly  driven  back  by  adverse  winds.  Owing  to  these 
delays,  the  33d  was  countermanded,  ordered  to  land,  and  sailed 
again  in  April,  1796,  for  the  Cape  and  India.  Thus  a  star 
which  might  have  set  early  in  the  West  in  obscurity,  and  per- 
haps death,  arose  in  the  East  with  life  and  brightness. 

Lord  ilomington,  the  present  marquis  Wellesley,  beinof  ap- 
pointed governor-general  of  India  in  1797,  the  interests  of  his 
brother  were  not  foi^tten.  Lieutenant-colonel  Wellesley  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  coloneL 

During  his  voyage  to  India,  it  is  yet  remembered  by  one  of 
his  fellow-passengers,  that  he  passed  much  time  in  his  cabin 
diligently  reading,  to  prepare  himself  for  command  and  conduct 
in  that  country.  Distinguishable  from  young  men  of  his  age 
and  station  by 'no  affectwl  singularities,  he  was  quietly  laying 
the  foundation  of  his  renown.  Birth  and  high  connexion  had 
given  him  quick  promotion  and  early  advancement  to  responsible 
command,— but  they  could  do  no  more.  Men  grow  not  to 
greatness  by  accident,  but  by  those  personal  endowments,  which 
are,  in  the  first  place,  the  gifts  of  Providence ;  and  after,  by  a 
constant  improvement  of  them,  by  steady  preparaticHi,  strong 
win,  and  undiverted  resolva 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELUNGTON.  13 


CHAP.  n. 

MILITARY     ASPECT     OF    IJfDIA. POLITICAL     STATE.  —  THE     WAR   Wmi 

TIPPOO    SULTAN. ASSEMBLY   OF   THE    BRITISH   ARMY. CHARGE    OF 

COLONEL   WELIJ3LEV.  —  MARCH  OF   THE   ARMY.  —  AFFAIR   OF    MALA- 
VELLY.  —  AFFAIR   OF   POSTS   ON    INVESTING   SERINGAPATAM. 

MnjTART  services  in  the  East  rarely  obtziin  that  notice  to 
which  they  are  justly  entitled.  The  sctme  in  which  they  are 
acted  is  remote ;  and  the  laurels  of  our  brave  men  from  India 
have  always  lost  a  something  of  their  freshness  before  we  gaze 
on  them  at  home.  Moreover,  it  is  an  effort  of  the  imagination 
to  realize  the  aspect  of  Asiatic  warfare,  and  to  many  readers 
such  efforts  are  at  once  painful  and  vam. 

They  content  themselves  with  considering  that  the  enemies 
in  India  are  black.  They  draw  some  distinction,  indeed,  be- 
tween the  black  of  Africa  and  of  Asia ;  but,  so  far  as  bodily 
power  and  personal  prowess  are  concerned,  it  is  in  favor  of  the 
former.  The  Asiatic  is  thought  an  effeminate  and  silken  slave, 
whose  nerves  tremble  at  the  report  of  a  cannon,  and  whose 
prancing  horses  are  only  used  for  security  or  flight  This  is  no 
fancy  picture ;  Englishmen  accounted  intelligent  thus  spoke  of 
India  fifty  short  years  ago ;  and  to  this  hour,  except  among 
those  interested  in  Indian  affairs  by  the  course  of  their  studies, 
by  connexion  with  the  services  or  commerce  of  that  coimtry,  or 
by  that  large  and  active  spirit  of  inquiry  which  an  attachment 
to  the  cause  of  schools  and  missions  has  awakened,  a  like  igno- 
rance obtains,  and  a  like  apathy  in  the  concerns  of  India  is  al- 
ways manifest 

Before  the  period,  however,  of  which  we  are  about  to  speak, 
the  attention  of  England  had  been  a  little  roused  by  the  talk 
of  bloody  and  severe  combats  in  the  East,  in  whicli  the  superi- 
ority of  her  arms,  though  triumphantly  maintained,  had  not 
been  undisputed. 

It  required  all  the  energy  of  lord  Comwallis,  and  the  utmost 
efibrts  of  his  brave  officers  and  gallant  men,  to  reduce  the 
strength,  and  humble  the  pride,  of  Tippoo,  the  sultan  of  Mysore. 
This  prince  inherited,  from  a  warlike  father,  a  kingtlom,  usurped 
by  violence  and  enlarged  by  conquest,  and  with  it  tlie  cherished 
spirit  of  that  stem  and  bitter  hatred  to  the  English  which  Hyder 
Ali  had  always  manifested  in  life,  and  recommended  in  death. 
The  names  of  Ilyder  and  Tippoo  had  sounded  on  the  English 
ear  as  those  of  foemen  not  to  be  totally  despised  ;  and  a  vague 
notion  of  what  Mahometan  fierceness,  guided  by  French  coun- 
sels and  French  discipline,  might  effect,  caused  them  to  estimate 

Vol.  I.  B 


14  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

anew,  though  still  imperfectly,  both  the  dangers  and  the  glory 
of  Indian  service.  The  fact  is,  Tippoo  had  a  traLaed  infantry, 
a  numerous  artillery,  expert  gunners,  and  an  active  courageous 
cavalry.  In  the  discipline  and  instruction  of  his  infantry  and 
artillery  he  was  aided  by  adventurers  from  France.  These  men 
were  greatly  encouraged  and  richly  rewarded. 

Although  Tippoo  was  undoubtedly  by  far  the  most  formidable 
enemy  of  England  among  the  native  princes,  yet  neither  were 
the  Mahratta  chieftains  mere  leaders  of  predatory  horse.  In  the 
army  of  Scindia,*  there  were  seventy-two  battalions  of  foot, 
under  French  officers,  organized  in  ten  brigades,  to  which  were 
attached  no  fewer  than  four  hundred  and  sixty  pieces  of  can- 
non. To  this  force  must  be  added  vast  numbers  of  irregular 
infantry  armed  only  with  a  matchlock,  or  with  sword  and 
shield,  or  with  the  spear.  Many  thousands  of  these  last  were 
composed  of  Patans  or  Rohillas,  men  of  a  fierce  and  desperate 
courage,  robust  and  hardy,  patiently  enduring  fatigue,  and  never 
appalled  by  fire. 

With  regard  to  the  Mahratta  horse,  little  if  any  discipline 
was  ever  successfully  established  among  them.  The  best  Mah- 
ratta horsemen  serve  by  tenure  of  land,  either  personal,  or  under 
a  chief  landholder ;  otliers  come  as  volunteers,  to  be  enrolled 
for  pay ;  or  they  are  the  hired  riders  of  the  horses  of  others 
again,  who  receive  all  the  pay  themselves.  The  volunteers  are 
numerous,  and  consist  of  such  individuals,  floating  loose  on  the 
surface  of  Indian  society,  as  have  by  any  means  possessed  them- 
selves of  a  horse  and  arms ;  but  they  are  all  of  the  military  cast, 
that  is,  born,  bred,  and  exercised  to  the  use  of  arms.  India 
abounds  with  martial  and  warlike  figures. 

These  horsemen  are  not  cowards ;  they  fear  not  death,  they 
fear  not  the  point  of  the  spear  or  the  edge  of  the  sabre.  Hence, 
if  prey,  or  baggage,  or  vengeance,  be  their  object,  they  will 
hover  near,  they  will  invite  tlie  skirmish,  they  will  challenge 
the  personal  encounter,  they  will  ride  up  even  to  the  very  muz- 
zles of  your  muskets.  But  to  excite  them  to  this,  there  must 
be  the  stimulus  of  a  golden  hope,  or  of  a  bitter  hate ;  for  other- 
wise, as  warfare  is  their  condition  of  life,  they  are  not  eager  m 
action.  Above  all  things  they  dread  the  exposure  or  loss  of 
their  horses,  which  are  at  once  the  sources  of  their  subsistence, 
their  titles  of  service,  their  treasure,  and  their  pride.  It  may 
be  readily  understood  that  these  men  abhor  the  irksomeness  and 
restrairit  of  all  exercise  or  discipline.  They  sweep  wide  prov- 
inces by  rapid  and  desolating  marches.  Terror  tells  of  their 
coming ;  tears  and  famine,  silence  and  blood,-  show  where  they 
have  passed.     Whenever  they  venture  as  a  body  to  draw  up 

*  The  most  considerable  of  those  chiefs 


.rtJSDUKE  OP  WELUNGTON.  16 

euid  await  a  disciplined  cavalry,  they  become  an  easy  conquest 
They  have  no  good  formation;  their  very  crowds  encumber 
them ;  the  fronts  presented  by  regular  and  well-trained  squad- 
rons, and  rapidly  changed  or  wheeled  at  the  blast  of  a  trumpet, 
confound  and  perplex  them ;  they  are  scattered  like  a  flock  of 
sheep,  and  sabred  as  they  fly.  In  any  contest,  however,  where 
infantry  are  thinned  by  fire,  or  broken  by  any  accident,  or  diffi- 
culty of  ground,  these  horse,  who  scramble  anywhere,  will 
pour  among  them  with  fury,  and  with  lance  and  sword  do  terri- 
bly the  work  of  death.  A  large  host  of  them,  seen  from  afar, 
presents  a  brilliant  appearance :  they  have  turbans  and  garments 
of  many  colors;  the  horses  of  the  chiefs,  and  of  all  such  as  can 
afford  it,  are  showily  caparisoned ;  and,  in  particular,  the  breast- 
plates glitter  with  silver :  every  neck  is  curved  by  a  standing 
martingale;  and  their  many  neighings  come  down  upon  the 
wind  loud  and  lordly.  Their  horses  are,  for  the  most  part,  tall, 
bony,  and  vicious ;  the  poorest  of  these  Mahrattas,  however,  are 
mounted  on  low  lean  cattle,  and  their  equipment  is  of  a  corre- 
spondent mearmess.  They  have,  also,  some  of  tliem,  a  beautiful 
kind  of  pony,  handsome  and  spirited,  rising  above  thirteen  hands, 
and  prized  even  by  their  chiefs,  but  not  for  battle. 

Such  are  Indian  armies ;  and  the  reader  should  possess  the 
picture,  to  be  enabled  to  follow,  with  a  livelier  interest,  the  ser- 
vices of  colonel  Wcllesley  in  the  Fast.  He  should  be  told  also 
that  India  is  a  country  where  the  roads  are  difficult,  and  some- 
times, from  the  nature  of  the  soil,  for  whole  days  and  weeks 
impassable : — that  on  the  plains  they  are  broad  tracks ;  in  the 
mountainous  country,  narrow  and  rocky  passes,  requiring  im- 
mense labor  in  the  transport  of  artillery ;  and  tliat  every  river, 
nay,  at  some  seasons,  every  stream,  is  a  serious  obstacle.  A  few 
of  the  large  fortresses  of  the  native  powers  are  armed  and 
defended,  though  imperfectly,  yet  much  after  the  European 
manner ;  but  the  many  are  lofty  and  difficult  of  access ;  con- 
structed of  solid  masonry,  with  double  and  winding  gateways ; 
having  walls  of  a  terrific  height,  without  any  ramparts  and 
round  towers  at  the  angles.  It  is  quite  fearful  to  stand  upon 
some  of  the  walls  our  soldiers  have  mounted  in  hot  blood,  and 
carried  by  escalade  in  our  Indian  wars. 

Exposure  to  sultry  suns;  long  marches;  the  endurance  of 
fatigue,  thirst,  and  hunger,  and  the  experience  of  liard  fighting, 
— these  things  make  honorable  veterans;  and  all  Englishmen, 
who  served  in  India  from  the  year  1780  to  1804,  had  their  full 
share  of  such  hardships,  and  have  large  titles  to  honor. 

We  have  now  to  relate  an  interesting  struggle,  and  shall  give 
the  stories  of  the  war  of  Mysore,  and  that  in  the  Deccan,  with 
a  brief,  plain  fidelity. 

When  tlie  marquis  Wellesley  arrived  in  India  lo  succeed  lord 


16  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

Teignmouth  in  the  government  of  that  country,  he  found  the 
British  interests  menaced  by  the  secret  designs  of  many  ene- 
mies. The  most  formidable  and  inveterate  of  these  was  the 
sultan  Tippoo,  ruler  of  Mysore.  He  had  entered  into  secret 
correspondence  with  the  French ;  had  sent  ambassadors  to  the 
local  government  in  the  Isle  of  France ;  and,  by  them,  letters 
to  be  forwarded  to  the  executive  directory  in  Europe.  Both  by 
his  envoys  and  his  letters  he  invited  the  alliance  of  the  French 
government,  and  their  aid  in  officers  and  men,  having  projected, 
as  he  told  them,  a  war  with  the  English,  which  he  only  awaited 
their  assistance  to  commence :  at  the  same  time  he  declared  to 
them  that  his  object  was  to  drive  the  English  out  of  India. 

It  was  also  known  that  he  had  sent  accredited  agents  to  the 
court  of  Zemaun  Shah,  king  of  Cabul  and  Candahar,  prompting 
him  to  invade  our  territories  from  the  north : — moreover,  he  was 
suspected  of  an  intrigue  with  the  Mahrattas,  Vv'hom  he  was 
inviting  to  make  common  cause  against  the  British. 

The  state  of  our  alliances  in  the  Deccan  was  apparently  des- 
perate: French  influence  was  paramount  at  the  court  of  the 
nizam.  The  court  of  the  peishwa*  at  Poonah  was  at  the  mercy 
of  Scindiah,  who  lay  near  with  an  anny,  and  dictated  all  its 
measures.  French  officers  possessed  the  ear  of  Scindiah.  The 
rajah  of  Berar  was  known  to  be  secretly  hostile  to  the  English ; 
and  the  adventurous  chief,  Ilolkar,  always  ready  for  war  and 
plunder,  would  not  be  slow  to  join  tlie  league. 

A  proclamation  issued  by  the  governor  of  the  Isle  of  France 
reached  Bengal  early  in  June,  1798.  No  sooner  was  this  made 
known,  than  the  Carnatic,  alarmed  and  despondent,  began  to 
dread  immediate  invasion,  and  a  renewal  of  all  those  horrors  of 
which  she  had  before  tasted  the  bitterness  and  misery.  The 
fourth  paragraph  of  this  proclamation  distinctly  stated,  that 
Tippoo  oidy  awaited  the  moment,  when  the  French  should 
come  to  his  assistance,  to  declare  war  against  the  English, — all 
of  whom  he  ardently  desired  to  expel  from  India. 

The  authenticity  of  this  document  was  at  first  doubted ;  but 
was  soon  confirmed  by  good  testimony,  and  by  tlie  fact,  that  a 
French  vessel  arrived  at  Mangalore  on  the  coast  of  Malabar, 
and  landed  one  hundred  men  and  several  officers  for  the  service 
of  Tippoo,  by  whom  they  were  instantly  received. 

The  marquis  Wellesley  immediately  decided  upon  a  war; 
but,  until  his  measures  of  preparation  were  complete,  he  de- 
layed the  open  declaration.  He  ordered  the  armies  of  Coro- 
mandel  and  Malabar  to  be  immediately  assembled ;  but  so  bad 

*  The  considered  head  of  the  Mahratta  powers,  and  the  real  sovereign  of 
the  Poonah  state,  though  nominally  only  the  chief  minister  of  the  rajah  of 
Sattara,  a  mere  cipher. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  V7 

and  inefficient  was  the  state  of  the  former,  that  this  could  not, 
at  the  moment,  be  done. 

To  improve  and  strengthen  our  alliance  with  the  nizam  was 
the  next  object.  This  prince  had  a  corps  of  fourteen  thousand 
men  in  his  service,  commanded  by  French  officers.  Tliese  offi- 
cers had  acquired  an  ascendency  so  considerable  at  his  court, 
that  his  nominal  alliance  was,  to  us,  not  only  useless  but  dan- 
gerous. Marquis  Wellesley  boldly  and  without  delay  negotiated 
for  the  augmentation  of  the  British  force  at  Hyderabad,  and  for 
the  dismissal  of  the  French  officers  serving  with  the  nizam. 
These  great  objects  were  most  happily  attained.  By  a  new 
treaty,  an  addition  was  made  to  the  British  subsidiary  force  of 
4400  men.  To  fulfil  these  engagements  at  once,  troops,  which 
had  been  held  in  secret  preparation,  were  assembled  by  general 
Harris  with  such  promptitude,  that,  although  the  treaty  was 
only  ratified  at  Fort  William  on  the  18th  of  September,  our 
troops  reached  Hyderabad  on  the  10th  of  October,  and,  assisted 
by  tlie  cavalry  of  the  nizam,  tliey  surrounded  the  French  force 
on  the  22d,  disarmed  tlie  sepoys,  and  arrested  the  European 
officers.  All  this  was  effected  without  bloodshed.  A  mutiny 
against  their  officers  had  broken  out  in  the  French  camp;  a 
state  of  things  which,  of  course,  prevented  any  effectual  resist- 
ance. The  body  disarmed  was  about  11,000  men.  Captain 
James  Kirkpatrick,  the  resident,  captain  John  Malcolm,  and  colo- 
nel Roberts,  conducted  this  affair,  in  tlieir  various  relations,  with 
great  address  and  uncommon  firmness.  The  zeal  and  courage 
of  captain  Malcolm  were,  from  circumstances,  most  conspicu- 
ous. This  master-stroke  of  policy  was  hailed  by  the  British  at 
both  presidencies  as  an  augury  of*^  a  good  and  vigorous  admin- 
istration. 

The  marquis  now  came  to  Fort  St.  George  to  advance  the 
preparations  for  war  by  his  presence.  As  soon  as  all  things 
were  ready,  he  addressed  a  remonstrance  to  Tippoo  Sultan  on 
his  late  conduct.  Tliis  not  being  replied  to,  ho  directed  the 
advance  of  the  army  on  the  3d  of  February.  On  the  13th  there 
came  a  short,  unsatisfactory  letter  from  Tippoo ;  his  reply  to 
which  lord  Wellesley  dated  on  the  22d,  affixing  tlie  saane  date 
to  a  declaration  of  war,  which  was  made  in  the  name  of  the 
English  and  their  allies. 

It  has  been  argued  by  some  that  this  war  was  forced  upon 
Tippoo,  and  that  lord  Wellesley  was  not  justified  in  tliese 
measures.  The  fact  is,  it  was  not  war  tlint  was  forced  upon 
Tippoo,  but  the  time  of  commencing  it  War  was  already  in 
his  heart  He  never  would,  he  never  could,  have  rested  in 
amity  witli  us.  His  attitute  of  peace  was  treacherous ;  it  waa 
but  the  couching  of  the  tiger  preparatory  to  its  spring.  As  the 
hunters  go  forth  from  an  Indian  village  to  destroy  the  terror  of 
B2 


18  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

their  herds,  seeking  him  in  his  own  lair,  so  the  British,  that  her 
trembling  subjects  in  the  Carnatic  might  sleep  in  security, 
marched  to  assault  this  dangerous  and  dreaded  enemy  in  his 
own  capital. 

The  preparations  for  this  campaign  were  made  upon  a  large 
scale,  and  manifested  the  intention  of  the  government  to  destroy 
the  power  of  Mysore.  As  little  as  possible  was  left  to  what  is 
called  the  fortune  of  war.  It  is  a  sound  principle  in  war,  that 
by  taking  the  field  strong,  campaigns  are  rendered  short  as  well 
as  decisive.  There  is  always,  therefore,  in  the  end,  a  saving  of 
treasure,  and  of  what  is  a  million  times  more  valuable,  of  human 
life : — a  principle,  by  the  way,  to  which  in  Europe  English 
ministers  have  rarely  if  ever  attended.  The  army  of  the  Car- 
natic, including  the  subsidiary  force  from  Hyderabad,  and  three 
thousand  of  the  nizam's  own  infantry,  amounted  to  thirty  thou- 
sand combatants.  Six  thousand  native  horse  belonging  to  the 
nizam,  and  not  included  in  the  above  statement,  marched  with 
this  army.  This  cavalry  was  led  by  Meer  Allum,  a  general  of 
the  nizam's.  The  charge  of  colonel  Wellesley  in  this  force 
was  considerable :  he  commanded  all  the  infantry  of  the  ni- 
zam, to  which  his  own  corps,  the  33d,  had  been  attached ;  and 
he  made  this  campaign  at  the  head  of  eleven  battalions. 

The  assembled  force  encamped  upon  the  frontier  of  Tippoo's 
territories  on  the  4th  of  March:  the  day  following,  general 
Harris  dispatched  lord  Wellesley's  letter  to  the  sultan,  declared 
war,  and  commenced  hostilities.  His  advanced  corps  of  infantry 
marched  upon  some  hill  forts  in  front :  tliey  surrendered  with- 
out resistance,  or  were  abandoned  as  the  troops  approached 
them. 

When  the  army  of  the  Carnatic  passed  the  eastern  frontier 
of  Mysore,  that  of  the  western  coast,  amounting  to  6400  men, 
was  also  marching  upon  Seringapatam.  This  last  force  had 
been  assembled  at  Cannanore  under  general  Stuart,  and  was 
destined  to  combine  its  operations  with  those  of  general  Harris. 

Tippoo's  first  movement  was  easterly,  as  if  to  oppose  the  ad- 
vance of  Harris ;  but  he  suddenly  broke  up  from  his  encamp- 
ment at  Seringapatam,  and  taking  with  him  the  flower  of  his 
infantry,  marched  swiftly  upon  the  division  coming  from  Can- 
nanore. He  encamped  near  them  on  the  5th.  Some  of  the 
tents  were  observed  by  general  Stuart;  but  from  the  nature  of 
the  countr}',  which  is  full  of  jungle,  or  tall  thick  underwood, 
that  officer  could  not  ascertain  his  numbers ;  neither  was  he 
aware  that  the  sultan  himself  was  present  in  the  camp.  The 
disposition  of  Stuart's  force  was  as  follows : — Three  native  bat- 
talions, under  colonel  Montresor,  were  posted  in  advance  at 
Seedaseer.  After  tlie  appearance  of  the  enemy  on  the  5th, 
they  were  reinforced  by  another  battalion.     The  rest  of  the 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  19 

troops,  with  the  park  and  provisions,  were  encamped  at  Seeda- 
poor  and  Ahmootenar;  the  first  were  eight  miles,  the  latter 
twelve,  in  rear  of  tliis  position.  The  country  here  is  covered 
w^ith  wood,  and  favorable  for  concealed  movements.  Between 
the  hours  of  nine  and  ten  on  the  forenoon  of  tlie  (ith,  the  enemy, 
having  penetrated  the  jungle  with  great  secrecy,  came  suddenly 
upon  the  brigade  of  Montresor,  and  attacked  him  in  front  and 
rear,  at  the  same  moment,  with  fierce  impetuosity. 

The  assailed  battalions,  though  pressed  by  superior  numbers, 
behaved  with  all  steadiness,  and  defended  tliemselves  with  reso- 
lute bravery.  It  was  five  hours  before  general  Stuart  could 
arrive  to  their  support ;  and  even  then,  tliat  division  of  the  ene- 
my, which  was  in  the  rear  of  Montresor,  still  for  half  an  hour 
resisted  his  advance ;  but  at  last  they  gave  way,  and  retired  on 
all  sides  in  confusion.  The  sultan  had  more  than  11,000  men 
in  action  at  Seedaseer,  and  lost  about  1.500.  I'he  brave  brigade 
of  Montresor  lost  only  140  men.  This  action  is  worthy  of  re- 
mark, as  on  both  sides  the  combatants  were  natives  of  Hindos- 
tan.  The  sultan  remained  m  his  camp  at  Periapalam  till  the 
11th,  without  molesting  Montresor  or  Stuart  again,  and  then 
marched  once  more  upon  the  nrniy  of  the  Carnatic.  On  the 
14tii  of  March  this  army  encamped  in  sight  of  Bangalore.  Four 
thousand  of  the  enemy's  best  cavalry  came  forward  to  recon- 
noitre it,  and  after  receiving  a  few  shot  from  the  field-pieces  of 
the  advanced  guard,  drew  off  quietly.  From  the  neighborhood 
of  Bangalore,  before  which  fortress  he  made  no  delay,  three 
roads  lead  to  Seringapatam :  general  Harris  took  the  southern, 
by  Kaunkaunhully.  The  march  was  tedious  in  the  extreme: 
his  army  was  five  days  in  accomplishing  the  same  distance 
traversed  by  lord  Comwallis  with  a  battering  train,  eight  years 
before,  in  tw^o.  The  equipments,  provisions,  and  stores  were 
not  more  than  sufficient,  nor  were  they,  for  an  Indian  army, 
more  cumbrous  than  usual ;  but  they  required  large  means  of 
transport ;  and  though  there  was  carriage  enough  to  meet  the 
want  on  the  returns,  yet  was  there  at  the  moment  some  disap- 
pointment as  to  the  quantity  of  bullocks,  still  more  as  to  their 
quality,  and  rate  of  marching.  The  evil  originated  witii  tlie 
native  contractors,  who,  finding  themselves,  by  some  new  regu- 
lations, abridged  of  tlieir  customary  and  fraudulent  gains,  mi- 
pcded  the  movements  in  a  manner  which  no  prudence  could 
foresee,  and  no  exertion,  no  anger,  no  punishment  could  avail 
to  rectify.  The  provoking  immobility  of  feature,  and  the  stub- 
bom  purpose,  which  a  native  of  that  class  exhibits,  when  gain 
or  revenge  is  his  object,  can  alone  be  conceived  by  those  who 
have  witnessed  it.  The  impatient  and  active  spirits  on  the  staff 
of  that  army  were  continually  enjraged  in  fruitless  endeavors  to 
move  these  sullen  contractors.    That  this  vexatious  experience, 


20  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

and  the  insight  it  gave  him  into  the  native  character,  and  com- 
missariat arrangements,  were  not  lost  upon  colonel  Wellesley, 
his  rapid  and  unimpeded  marches  in  the  Deccan,  at  a  subsequent 
period,  abundantly  testify ;  and  it  is  remarkable  that  the  British 
army  has  never  had  a  general  so  minutely  attentive  to  the  com- 
missariat department,  to  his  means  of  transport,  his  depots  and 
supplies,  as  this  great  commander. 

To  return.  General  Harris  encamped  at  Kaunkaunhully  on 
the  21st.  The  sultan  offered  no  opposition  to  these  movements ; 
he  even  retired  from  the  strong  heights  on  the  eastern  banks  of 
the  Maddoor  river,  without  disputing  the  passage.  On  the  27th, 
however,  general  Harris  found  the  enemy  halted,  and  drawn 
up  on  the  high  ground  beyond  Malavelly.  They  fired  upon  the 
army,  and  manifested  an  intention  to  prevent  their  encamping. 
A  disposition  was,  therefore,  made  to  compel  them  to  fight  or 
retire.  The  33d  regiment,  and  the  troops  of  the  nizam,  under 
colonel  Wellesley,  formed  and  advanced  upon  the  left,  supported 
by  the  regular  cavalry  under  general  Floyd.  The  right  moved 
forward  under  the  more  immediate  direction  of  general  Harris. 
The  pickets  of  the  army  were  for  a  time  considerably  annoyed 
by  the  rockets  of  the  enemy,  and  their  cannonade  ;  but  as  soon 
as  the  formations  were  completed,  their  fire  was  answered  by 
such  field-pieces  as  could  be  brought  up ;  the  line  advanced ; 
the  affair  became  general  along  the  whole  front,  and  tliey  were 
driven  from  the  field.  In  this  engagement  some  of  the  sultan's 
troops  manifested  great  courage.  Two  thousand  of  the  best 
trained  of  his  turbaned  infantry  advanced  firmly  upon  the  British 
33d,  and  came  within  sLxty  paces  before  delivering  their  fire. 
The  33d,  led  by  colonel  Wellesley,  charged  these  Cushoons,  and 
overthrew  them  with  the  bayonet.  The  horses  of  general 
Floyd  were  soon  amidst  their  broken  ranks,  and  tliey  fell  fast 
before  the  sabres  of  his  men,  whose  red  horse-hair  plumes  shook 
over  them  fierce  and  pitiless.* 

General  Harris  crossed  the  Cauvery  at  Sosilay,  where  there 
is  an  easy  ford  :  this  movement  was  unexpected  by  the  sultan, 
and  was  effected  without  loss  or  interruption.  On  the  2d  of 
April,  Tippoo  reconnoitred  the  British  for  some  hours  while 
taking  up  their  ground  from  a  hill  in  their  front,  and  on  the 
4th  he  had  again  a  full  view  of  the  whole  line  as  it  passed  along 
the  higli  grounds  about  four  miles  from  his  capital. 

On  the  .5th  of  April  the  army  finally  took  up  its  position  be- 
fore Seringapatam  for  the  siege.     The  camp  was  formed  oppo- 

*  The  British  dragoons  in  India,  at  that  period,  were  of  the  bravest ;  but  the 
habit  of  encountering  men  who  gave  no  quarter  caused  them  to  be  savage  in 
the  hot  moment  of  tlio  melee.  Their  helmets  were  surmounted  by  thick 
plumes  of  red  horsehair,  which  fell  over  their  right  cheeks,  and  gave  them  a 
eteru  look. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELUNGTON.  21 

site  the  west  fece  of  the  fort,  at  tlie  distance  of  3500  yards. 
The  right  was  on  commanding  ground, — the  left  flank  was 
doubly  secured  by  an  aqueduct  and  the  river  Cauvery.  This 
aqueduct  served  in  many  places,  in  its  winding  course,  as  a 
strong  intrenchment,  and  several  deep  and  difficult  ravines  in 
the  rear  of  the  encampment  gave  it  protection  from  any  sudden 
irruptions  of  the  enemy's  enterprising  horse.  This  pleasant 
camp  was  strong,  secure,  and  abundantly  supplied  with  fine 
water ;  in  addition  to  these  advantages,  there  were  in  the  lines 
five  large  topes :  the  feathery  cocoa,  and  the  tall  and  slender 
areca,  and  thick  clusters  of  the  graceful  bamboo,  adorned  them. 
But  the  advantage  here  was  not  their  beauty  or  their  shade : 
they  furnished  those  materials  for  carrying  on  the  works  which 
have  generally  to  be  fetched  witJi  much  labor,  and,  if  an 
enemy  be  strong  in  cavalry,  with  much  interruption,  from  a 
distance. 

The  position,  however,  was-  found  to  be  in  part  exposed  to 
some  little  annoyance  from  the  enemy's  advanced  posts,  espe- 
cially from  tlieir  rocket-men.  An  attack  was  directed  upon  two 
of  these  posts  the  same  night,  under  colonels  Wellesley  and 
Shaw :  it  failed ;  colonel  Shaw,  indeed,  got  possession  of  a 
ruined  village,  and,  sheltered  by  the  cover  of  its  walls,  was 
enabled  to  hold  it  throughout  the  night  The  column  of  colonel 
Wellesley,  when  it  entered  the  txipe  on  which  it  was  directed, 
was  suddenly  a.ssailed  by  a  hot  fire  of  musketry  and  rockets :  it 
was  thrown  mto  confiision  and  withdrawn.  Such  is  tlie  frequent 
fate  of  a  night-attack,  in  which,  if  the  assailants  do  not  actually 
surprise  the  foe,  and  create  a  panic,  however  brave  the  men, 
however  able  the  leader,  without  a  certain  and  confident  know- 
ledge of  the  ground,  and  light  enough  to  distinguish  both  it  and 
their  opponents,  they  are  moving  they  know  not  where,  and 
fighting  they  know  not  what  The  uncertain  footing  of  a  mere 
walk  in  the  dark  upon  strange  ground  belongs  to  every  man's 
experience.  The  following  day  general  Harris  made  fiiller 
dispositions  with  a  view  to  drive  in  the  whole  line  of  the  ene- 
my's outposts.  He  directed  three  simultaneous  attacks  on  their 
right  Hank,  their  left,  and  their  centre,  and  tliese  attacks  were 
to  be  made  under  cover  of  guns  previously  posted ;  moreover, 
the  attacking  columns  were  stronger.  Colonel  Wellesley  again 
commanded  the  attack  upon  the  Sultan-pettah  tope,  and  it  waa 
carried  with  skill  and  resolution. 

The  attacks  of  colonel  Wallace  on  the  right,  and  colonel 
Shaw  on  the  left,  were  alike  successful.  These  assaults  secured 
a  connected  line  of  posts  within  1800  yards  of  the  fort,  extend- 
ing two  miles  in  length,  from  the  river  on  the  letl  to  the  village 
of  Suitanpet  on  tlie  right. 


39  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

CHAP.  in. 

SIEGE   OF   SERINGAPATAM.  —  THE   STORM   AND   CAPTURE COLONEL 

WELLESLEY    APPOINTED   GOVERNOR 

The  fort  or  city  of  Seringapatam  is  situated  on  a  small  island 
formed  by  the  river  Cauvery,  which  breaking  against  the  rocky 
bank  disparts  its  stream  into  separate  but  wide  channels :  the 
waters  flow  sluggishly  along,  till  they  meet  about  three  miles 
below. 

The  city  is  built  at  the  upper  end,  and  the  arms  of  the  river 
at  that  point  embrace  the  walls.  The  island  has  a  naked,  dreary 
appearance,  and  is  about  a  mile  in  width  below  the  city.  The 
place  is  fortified  in  the  old  Indian  fashion.  Obstacles  are  clum- 
sily multiplied,  and,  especially  at  the  south-west  angle,  wall 
rises  above  wall  in  complicated  obstruction.  Many  of  the  bas- 
tions are  square,  but  there  are  a  few  of  the  regular  European 
form ;  they  are  connected,  however,  by  walls,  long,  lofty,  and 
straight,  after  the  manner  of  the  Hindoos.  The  north-western 
angle  was  that  selected  by  the  general  as  the  point  of  attack : 
the  river  at  that  season  was  low,  its  bed  wide,  and  filled  with 
rocks  and  fragments  of  granite. 

The  Bombay  army,  under  Stuart,  from  the  western  coast,  and 
general  Floyd,  who  had  been  detached  with  the  cavalry  to  cover 
their  advance,  joined  on  the  14tli.  The  sultan's  horse  had 
hovered  close  and  constantly  upon  their  line  of  march,  and  been 
very  active  in  their  annoyance.  The  progress  of  the  works  was 
now  rapid :  on  the  17th  the  Bombay  troops  were  established  and 
well  covered  witliin  a  thousand  yards  of  the  western  angle  of 
the  fort ;  and  the  bed  of  a  watercourse  on  the  southern  side, 
within  a  like  distance,  was  seized  at  the  same  moment. 

On  the  20th,  in  the  evening,  the  enemy  was  dislodged  from 
an  advanced  intrenchment  with  considerable  loss,  and  a  parallel 
was  opened  on  the  spot  within  seven  hundred  and  eighty  yards 
of  the  fort. 

On  the  22d  a  column  of  6000  infantry,  with  Lally's  corps  of 
Frenchmen,  made  a  furious  sally  upon  the  Bombay  army :  they 
were  received  with  steadiness ;  and  after  many  times  repeating 
their  fierce  efforts,  were  compelled  to  retire  with  the  loss  of  six 
or  seven  hundred  men. 

On  the  evening  of  the  26th  some  intrenchments  of  the  enemy 
behind  the  bank  of  a  watercourse  within  380  yards  of  the  place 
were  assaulted  and  carried.  Of  these  attacks  colonel  Wellesley, 
who  commanded  in  the  trenches,  had  the  immediate  direction. 
Their  success  was  rendered  complete  by  the  spirited  and  timely 
support  of  colonel  Campbell.  The  fighting  was  obstinate,  and 
our  loss  considerable. 


^■' 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  23 

On  the  morning  of  the  3()th  a  breaching  battery  opened  on 
the  bastion ;  at  sunrise  on  the  2(1  of  May  another  battery  opened 
upon  the  curtain  to  its  right ;  these  and  tlie  supporting  batteries 
kept  up  a  loud  thunder,  and  beat  weightily  upon  the  walls.  A 
magazine  of  rockets*  blew  up  in  the  fort,  and  threw  its  ruinous 
and  terrific  firework  far  up  into  the  war-clouded  sky;  salvo 
upon  salvo  lodged  ponderous  shot  upon  the  shaken  walls.  A 
practicable  breach  was  soon  made  in  the  fuusse  braye  wall,  and 
on  the  evening  of  the  third  the  main  rampart  was  a  heap,  and  a 
yawning  ruin.  Scaling-ladders,  fascines,  and  otlier  materiel  for 
the  assault,  were  sent  to  the  trenches  after  sunset  the  same 
evening.  When  the  sun  rose  on  the  morrow,  the  brave  battal- 
ions destined  for  the  storm  were  already  concealed  in  the 
trenches. 

Two  thousand  five  hundred  Europeans  and  one  tliousand 
eight  hundred  natives  were  appointed  to  this  service,  under 
major-general  Baird.  The  hour  for  the  assault  was  well  cho- 
Ben ;  it  was  that  sultry  hour  of  early  afternoon,  which  is  through- 
out the  east  a  season  of  profound  repose ;  when  lassitude  is  felt 
in  all  its  enervating  power ;  when,  after  the  meal  at  noon,  all 
natives  compose  themselves  to  sleep  or  rest  Hot,  panting, 
breathless  for  the  signal,  men  from  the  far  north  and  west,  that 
had  left  tlieir  thresholds  at  home  fair  flaxen-headed  youths,  lay 
by  their  native  comrades  looking  up  to  the  fierce  sun,  and  well- 
nigh  as  swart  as  they. 

The  sleepy  silence  which  hung  over  the  city,  and  the  awfiil 
stillness  in  the  trenches,  were  suddenly  broken  by  the  voice  of 
Baird : — "  Come,  my  brave  fellows !  follow  me,  and  prove  your- 
selves worthy  of  the  name  of  Britisli  soldiers,"  was  the  brief 
appeal,  with  which,  springing  out  of  the  trenches,  sword  in 
hand,  he  summoned  the  bold  men  to  the  overthrow  of  a  king- 
dom. He  was  answered  by  the  quick  and  forward  rush  of  the 
"  forlorn  hope"  as  they  broke  past  him  ;  and  was  close  followed 
by  the  columns  under  colonels  Sherbrooke  and  Dunlop.  The 
summit  of  the  breach,  after  a  short  struggle  on  the  slope  with 
a  few  gallant  Mysoreans,  who  started  out  on  the  instant,  was 
crowned  in  six  minutes ;  a  British  color  was  there  displayed  by 
the  brave  sergeant f  of  the  "forlorn,"  who  as  he  gave  the  shout 
of  triumph,  and  felt  the  hot  throb  of  honors  already  won,  fell 
dead  by  a  shot  from  within  the  fort. 

The  face  of  tlie  wide  breach  was  soon  crowded  with  men ; 
and  when  collected  in  sufficient  force  to  enter  upon  tlie  ram- 

•  A  city  in  India  h«'»in(tP(I  prowntH  niglit  nflor  nJRht  n  siihlimo  njicrtorle  to 
the  besieKcrii.  fruin  the  largo  nii.t  fri.-<|iirnt  iiiu<  niiidc  by  Indiana  nf  Miio-liRhta 
and  other  lircwurks,  Ix-siden  rockntn  which  arc  thrown  in  great  quautiticii,  and 
&n  very  troublcaouic  and  deitructive. 

tUis  name  waiRraham 


24  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

part,  they  filed  off  to  the  right  and  left,  driving  the  enemy 
before  them,  who  fled  particularly  on  the  right,  with  unresisting 
panic*  Numbers  threw  down  their  arms  and  rushed  out  of  the 
fort.  One  body  of  fugitives  effected  their  escape  by  lowering 
themselves  with  the  long  folds  of  their  unrolled  turbans,  from 
the  lofty  wall  at  the  south-western  angle ;  but  of  these  the  more 
inactive  and  irresolute  were  dashed  to  pieces  upon  the  rocky 
bottom  of  the  ditch.  Upon  the  left,  however,  the  column  of 
colonel  Dunlop,  who  had  himself  been  wounded  in  a  personal 
conflict  with  one  of  Tippoo's  sirdars,  on  the  slope  of  the 
breach,  was  vigorously  opposed.  The  enemy  took  jwst  behind 
the  traverses  which  they  had  constructed,  and  defended  them, 
one  after  the  other,  with  such  resolution  as  frequently  to  bring 
our  front  to  a  stand.  Nor  would  this  difficulty  have  been  easily 
surmounted,  had  the  detachment  of  the  12th  regiment,  British, 
failed  in  passing  the  ditch  between  the  exterior  and  inner  ram- 
part. A  narrow  strip  of  ground  left  for  the  passage  of  the 
workmen  was  by  happy  chance  discovered ;  the  rampart  was 
climbed ;  the  detachment  advanced  along  it,  flanked  these  for- 
midable traverses,  and  cleared  them  by  their  fire.  In  this  quar- 
ter the  sultan  himself  had  hitherto  fought  in  person,  firing  from 
behind  a  traverse  like  a  common  soldier,  his  attendants  aver 
with  such  steadiness  and  effect,  that  he  brought  down  many  of 
the  assailants. 

But  when  on  all  sides  the  English  were  gaining  ground; 
when  those  of  the  right  attack  were  seen  in  their  crimson  uni- 
forms, over  the  eastern  gate ;  when  on  all  the  works  the  dis- 
mayed Mysoreans  were  resigning  the  contest,  and  abandoning 
their  posts,  Tippoo  retired  along  the  northern  rampart. 

Coming  up  with  one  of  his  horses  he  mounted,  complaining 
of  fatigue,  and  of  the  aching  of  a  leg,  in  which  he  had  been 
formerly  wounded.  He  now  rode  slowly,  with  what  object  none 
can  tell,  not  away,  out  of  the  city,  as  he  might  have  done,  but 
to  a  bridge  that  crossed  the  inner  ditch,  and  led  by  a  covered 
gateway  into  the  town.  As  he  was  entering  this  gateway  he 
received  a  wound  from  a  musket-ball.  The  place  was  soon  filled 
with  fugitives,  both  from  without  and  within :  for  on  both  sides 
the  British  were  now  advancing.  The  archway  was  so  choked 
with  people  that  he  could  not  pass  through  the  crowd ;  and  the 
cross-fire  of  the  conquerors  soon  made  it  a  heap  of  the  dead 
and  the  dying.  His  horse  sunk  under  him,  wounded  ;  his  palan- 
quin was  at  hand,  and  his  attendants  disengaged  him  from  the 
saddle,  and  placed  him  upon  it.  This  was  their  last  service — 
removal  was  impossible.    In  a  few  minutes  English  soldiers 

*  A  captain  Molle  of  the  Scotch  Brigade  pursued  them  with  such  ardor  that, 
unsupported,  he  gained  a  cavalier,  and  raising  his  bat  on  his  sword  summoned 
bis  men  to  take  possession  of  it. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  25 

pressed  into  the  gateway.  One  of  them,  attracted  by  the  glit- 
tering of  the  golden  buckle,  snatched  at  the  sultan's  sword-belt. 
Tippoo,  with  such  strength  as  yet  remained  to  him,  made  a  cut 
at  the  soldier,  and  wounded  liim  in  the  knee.  The  man  drew 
back,  raised  his  piece,  and  sliot  the  sultan  deliberately  througli 
the  temple,  little  knowing  that  it  was  the  stern  unyielding  king, 
who  fell  back  upon  the  litter  dead.  In  the  hot  searcJi  for  plun- 
der, the  body  was  thrown  out  of  the  palanquin,  and  lay  liidden 
for  a  time  beneatli  a  heap  of  slain.  While  Tippoo,  in  tlie  con- 
sciousness that  his  kingdom  was  departed  from  him,  provoked 
the  fate  lie  probably  desired,  all  was  alarm  and  terror  in  the 
palace.  Baird,  who  liad  been  formerly,  for  three  years,  the  fet- 
tered and  captive  tenant  of  a  lothesome  hovel  in  this  very  city, 
now  stood  before  the  palace-gates  as  a  victor. 

After  some  anxious  parley  between  major  Allan  and  the  kille- 
dar,  the  palace,  which  was  crowded  with  armed  men,  surren- 
dered ;  the  gates  were  opened,  and  the  youthful  princes*  were 
led  to  the  presence  of  tlie  injured  conqueror.  They  came  trem- 
bling :  they  knew  his  story ;  they  knew  his  wrongs ;  and  they 
knew  that  Europeans  taken  during  the  siege  had  been  murdered 
in  torture  by  their  father :  but  as  they  drew  near,  and  met  the 
eyes  of  Baird,  that  brave  man  was  sensibly  affected  at  the  sight ; 
his  violent  and  excited  anger  was  suddenly  resolved  into  the 
generous  emotions  of  a  fatherly  pity ;  he  calmed  their  fears,  and 
dismissed  them  with  expressions  of  regard  and  promises  of  pro- 
tection. 

From  the  information  gathered  at  the  palace,  Baird  proceeded 
instantly  to  the  northern  gateway  in  search  of  the  sultan.  The 
shadowy  arch  was  filled  with  slain  ;  and  from  the  dim  obscurity 
of  the  place  the  features  of  the  dusky  dead  could  not  easily  be 
distinguished.  Body  after  body  was  dragged  out  and  examined 
without  success.  Torches  were  now  liglited,  and  tliey  went  in 
to  carry  on  the  search  with  better  ex})edition :  the  corpse  was 
at  last  found  beneath  a  heap  of  the  killed,  and  recognized  by 
many.  Turban,  jacket,  sword,  and  belt  were  gone ;  of  defence 
or  ornament  nothing  remained  to  the  king ;  still,  however,  bound 
upon  his  right  arm,  was  the  trusted  amuletf  which  he  always 
wore.  Despite  three  wounds  in  the  body,  and  one  in  the  temple, 
the  countenance  was  not  distorted,  and  it  wore  an  expression  of 
stem  composure.  The  eyes  were  open,  and  the  body  so  warm, 
that,  as  colonel  Wellesley,  tlien  present,  and  major  Allan,  felt 
it,  tliey  thought,  for  a  minute,  tliat  the  sultan  yet  lived ;  but  it 

*  They  were  youths  of  leventecn  and  fifteen. 

t  The  taliiman  cnntainod.  acwed  up  in  picct^a  of  fine-flnwercd  silk,  an  amu- 
let of  a  brittle  metallic  lulmtance,  of  ilx!  color  of  silver,  and  gome  inanugrriptR 
in  magic,  Arabic,  and  Persian  cliaractiTR,  the  purport  of  which,  hnd  there 
been  any  douht,  would  have  fully  ascertaineil  the  identity  of  the  sultan's 
body.— Ilr*T«oK. 

Vol.  I.  C 


26  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

was  not  so.  They  felt  the  pulse  again,  and  it  was  still :  the 
haughty  heart  and  it  had  ceased  to  beat. 

Above  eight  thousand  of  his  troops  had  fallen.  The  carnage 
in  and  around  the  principal  mosque  was  very  great ;  for  here 
was  the  last  deadly  and  desperate  resistance  of  the  true  mussul- 
mans,  who  would  neither  fly  nor  surrender.  All  violence  ceased 
with  the  conflict ;  and,  in  comparison  with  captures  by  assault 
generally,  few,  very  few,  of  the  inhabitants  suffered.  Such 
females  as  had  not  fled  the  city,  gathered  in  veiled  and  trem- 
bling groups  in  the  open  spaces,  and  found  their  best  protection 
in  this  defenceless  and  pitied  exposure.  On  the  morning  of 
the  .'jth  of  May,  colonel  Wellesley  was  appointed  to  the  perma- 
nent command  of  Seringapatam.  In  the  attack,  he  had  been 
in  charge  of  the  reserve,  and  was  only  an  eager  and  animated 
spectator  of  the  storm.  The  rank,  the  reputation,  the  age  of 
Baird,  and,  above  all,  the  peculiar  circumstance  of  his  long 
captivity  in  the  dungeons  of  this  very  city,  gave  him  a  right  to 
the  honor  of  leading  the  assault ;  and  the  impatient  victor,  in 
the  furious  battle  of  Assaye,  had  but  to  see  this  conflict,  and  to 
hear  the  shouts  of  the  conquerors.  His  immediate  attention  on 
the  morning  of  the  5th  was  directed  to  the  re-establishment  of 
order  and  security.  He  made  a  few  necessary  examples  of 
plunderers ;  went  in  person  to  the  houses  of  the  principal  in- 
habitants, and  soon  inspired  a  general  confidence  in  the  people. 
Such  as  had  fled  away  to  the  open  fields  returned ;  and  three 
days  after  the  capture,  the  main  street  and  the  bazaar  were 
crowded  with  a  busy  population,  and  presented  the  appearance 
of  a  fair. 

On  the  evening  of  the  capture,  the  remains  of  Tippoo  were 
conveyed  to  the  palace.  On  the  morning  after,  Abdul  Khalik, 
his  second  son,  came  in  and  surrendered  himself:  he  asked  to 
see  the  body,  but  viewed  it  with  apparent  unconcern.  Not  so 
the  younger  princes ;  they  displayed  a  feeling  and  lively  sor- 
row. Youth  is  youth,  and  father  has  still  a  cherished  place  in 
the  breast  and  heart  of  boyhood,  whatever  be  the  country,  how 
troubled  soever  be  the  scene.  Tippoo  was  buried  with  the  usual 
ceremonies,  and  with  as  much  of  pomp  as  circumstances  ad- 
mitted ;  all  these  things  being  cared  for  and  provided,  with  the 
utmost  delicacy  and  judgment,  by  colonel  Wellesley  himself,  as 
commandant  of  the  city.  Four  flank  companies  of  Europeans 
attended  as  a  guard  of  honor;  and  minute-gufe  were  fired 
during  the  interment.  As  the  procession  passed  through  the 
street,  a  keeraut,  or  charitable  donation  of  five  thousa.nd  rupees, 
was  distributed  to  the  fakirs  and  the  poor.  The  kauzee  chanted 
the  usual  verses  from  the  Koran,  and  the  attendants  gave  the 
loud  response.  The  streets  were  lined  with  inhabitants,  and 
many  persons  prostrated  themselves  before  the  bier.     Thus 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  27 

Tippoo  was  laid  in  the  tomb  of  a  king,  and  with  the  body  of  his 
father.  He  was  brave ;  and  he  died  a  soldier's  death.  He  was 
a  favorite  with  all  classes,  during  the  lifetime  of  his  father,  but 
his  reign  disappointed  all  expectations.  Nevertheless,  in  the 
sight  of  his  mussulman  subjects,  he  had  many  redeeming  quali- 
ties ;  nor  did  they  attribute  to  him,  but  to  his  minister,  Meer 
Sadduck,  the  oppression  which  they  endured.  This  they  marked 
by  the  cruel,  indecent,  and  foul  indignities  with  which  they 
treated  the  naked  corpse  of  Meer  Sadduck,  who  was  killed 
during  the  assault,  it  is  believed,  by  the  Mysoreans  themselves. 
Tippoo  was  generous,  though  capricious,  and  supported  an  im- 
mense number  of  dependants.  "  These  people  are  fed  by  God," 
he  would  say, ."  not  by  me  ; "  and  he  would  never  hear  of  any 
reductions  in  his  establishment  which  might  dismiss  superfluous 
servants  to  destitution.  He  was  strict  in  all  observances  of  his 
religion ;  and  his  edicts  against  the  offences  prohibited  by  the 
law  of  the  prophet,  especially  that  against  the  use  of  wine, 
were  severe  and  inflexible.  He  was  a  despiser  of  all  Europeans, 
even  of  those  whom  he  employed.  He  was  a  persecutor  of  all 
infidels,  of  the  Nazarene  in  particular.  Yet  it  is  recorded  of 
him  that,  on  the  very  day  on  which  he  met  his  deatli,  he  made 
large  oblations*  to  the  briihmin  priests,  and  performed  ceremonies 
by  them  enjoined  to  avert  misfortuna  These  priests  had  ap- 
prized him  that  the  4th  of  May  would  prove  an  inauspicious  day 
to  him ;  and  whatever  prompted  tlie  strange  augury,  it  was, 
though  with  little  of  mystery  or  wonder,  fiilfillod.  When  he 
sent  to  them  his  offerings,  he  asked  tlieir  prayers.  Such  was 
the  fear  with  which  this  intrepid  warrior  regarded  the  approach 
of  misfortune,  or,  perhaps,  the  terrible  law  of  death.  Such 
was  his  doubt  of  that  providence  and  mercy  in  which,  as  a 
good  mussulman,  he  affected  to  place  a  simple  and  implicit  re- 
liance. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  predictions  of  the  priests,  and  his 
own  misgivings  about  the  last  event  and  issue  of  the  war,  the 
storm  of  Seringapatam  he  never  contemplated  for  one  moment ; 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  day  when  it  was  made,  he  could  not, 
to  the  last,  be  made  to  believe  that  it  was  intended.  He  was  at 
dinner,  sitting  under  a  pandal,t  near  an  old  gateway,  in  the 

*  To  the  SbiiMsee  of  Chenapntam  hr>  gnve  an  elephant,  n  ba);  of  oil  aeeda 
(of  the  sort  naiiM  tul),  and  two  lmn(trr<t  rupees.  To  liitrerrnt  brahmins  be 
gave  a  black  bullock,  a  milch  buO'alo,  a  male  bulTalo,  a  black  shegoat,  a  jacket 
of  coane  black  cloth,  a  cap  of  the  xame  material,  ninety  ru|)ee8,  and  previoui 
to  the  delivery  of  this  last  article  he  held  his  head  over  the  pot,  for  tlic  purpoae 
of  seeing  the  ima{(c  of  his  fhce;  a  ceremony  nued  in  Ilindostan  to  avert  mis- 
fortune, lie  thitn  di8mi8tic<l  the  brahmin!),  and  d<!8ire<l  they  would  pray  for 
the  profi(iority  of  hi*  ^vernmcnt.  which  was  the  more  remarkable,  the  sultan 
being  a  bigoted  Mahometan. — Dkatson. 

t  A  thatebed  sbed, 


28  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

northern  face,  when  the  alarm  was  given.  He  hastily  washed 
his  hands,  and  called  for  his  arms.  While  buckling  on  his  sword, 
a  messenger  came  running  to  tell  him,  that  Syed  Goffar,  his 
best  officer,  was  killed. 

"  Syed  Goffar  was  never  afraid  of  death,"  was  his  first  and 
only  exclamation :  "  let  Mahommed  Cassim  take  charge  of  his 
division."  And  with  these  words  he  went  hastily  forth  to  meet 
the  assault.  The  fortunes  and  the  character  of  this  prince  are 
of  sufficient  interest  to  have  demanded  this  long  notice. 

As  soon  as  it  could  be  conveniently  arranged,  the  commis- 
sioners, appointed  by  the  governor-general,  assembled  in  Serin- 
gapatam.  Colonel  Wellesley  was  a  member  of  this  commission. 
Their  first  proceeding  was  to  grant  life-pensions  to  the  chief 
sirdars  of  Tippoo's  army  who  had  survived  the  struggle.  This 
measure  of  conciliation  being  effected,  their  next  was  to  remove 
lirom  the  country  the  families  of  Hyder  Ali  and  the  late  sultan, 
as  a  preliminary  to  the  new  settlement  of  Mysore.  The  details 
of  this  delicate  office  were  left  to  colonel  Wellesley ;  and,  by 
various  concurring  testimonies,  the  duty  was  performed  with 
great  judgment,  and  the  most  considerate  humanity. 

It  was  resolved  by  the  marquis  Wellesley  to  restore  the 
ancient  rajahsliip  of  Mysore.  lie  apportioned  for  it  a  larger 
territory  and  a  better  revenue  than  the  former  rajahs  had  ever 
possessed.  The  remainder  of  Tippoo's  kingdom,  being  the 
after-conquest  of  his  father,  was  divided  between  the  English 
and  the  nizam ;  a  portion  being  reserved  as  an  offering  to  the 
peishwah,  with  a  view  of  cementing  our  alliances  in  that  quar- 
ter. The  child,  who  was  the  lineal  descendant  of  the  ancient 
rajahs  of  Mysore,  was  discovered,  with  his  fallen  family,  in  deep 
]>overty  and  humiliation.  His  state  excited  a  most  compassionate 
interest  in  those  first  deputed  to  communicate  the  intended  ele- 
vation. The  commissioners  were  received  by  the  young  rajah 
in  the  mean  apartment  of  a  mean  abode.  He  was  surrounded 
by  his  male  relations ;  while  the  ranah  and  the  females  of  his 
house  were  only  concealed  from  the  visitors  by  a  sorry  cloth  or 
curtain :  every  thing  marked  tlie  extreme  of  indigence  and 
neglected  obscurity. 

The  young  prince,  a  delicate  and  timid  child,  about  five  years 
old,  was  at  first  alarmed ;  but  the  kindness  of  the  commissioners 
soon  reassured  him. 

The  brahmins  fixed  upon  the  SOtJi  of  June  as  an  ^auspicious 
day  for  the  enthronement.  The  inauguration  took  place  in  the 
old  town  of  Mysore.  The  ancient  Hindoo  musnud  had  been 
discovered  at  Seringapatam,  and  was  used  upon  this  occasion. 
Under  a  royal  salute  from  the  fort,  and  three  volleys  from  the 
troops,  the  young  rajah,  conducted  by  general  Harris  and  Meer 
Allum,  took  seat  upon  the  throne  of  his  fathers,  received  their 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  29 

homage,  and  was  presented  in  due  form  with  the  seal  and  signet 
of  the  rauje.  The  deportment  of  the  child,  throughout  this 
imposing  ceremony,  was  so  becoming,  so  free  from  all  restraint 
and  embarrassment,  as  to  surprise  and  interest  all  the  British 
officers  who  were  present.  Tippoo  had  always  designated  the 
Btate  as  Khodadad  Sircar,  i.  e.  "  The  Government,  God  given  ;" 
or,  "  The  Gift  of  God."  The  designation,  though  Mahometan, 
and  no  longer  used,  struck  many  as  singularly  applicable  to  tlie 
advancement  of  the  young  rajah ;  for  he  had  literally  lain  among 
the  pots,*  and  was  now  set  up  as  a  prince  of  the  people.  The 
brahmin  Pumeah,  who  had  been  the  finance  minister  of  Tippoo, 
accepted  an  offer  to  become  the  dewan  of  the  present  govern- 
ment, and  was  appointed  accordingly.  Thus  happily  was  this 
important  conquest  settlcd.f 

It  is  impossible  to  close  the  story  of  tliis  war  without  remark- 
mg  two  things : — first,  that,  contrary  to  all  reasonable  expecta- 
tions, the  British  army  was  compelled  rather  to  creep  than  to 
march  to  the  scene  of  its  after-triumphs.  Next,  that,  if  in  con- 
sequence of  this  delay  Seringapatam  had  been  defended  as  it 
might  and  ought  to  have  l^en,  and  as  there  was  reason  to 
expect  from  the  character  of  Tippoo,  the  number  of  his  troops, 
and  the  abundance  of  its  materiel,  it  would  have  been,  the  siege 
must  have  been  tedious  and  harassing,  and  the  success  doubtful. 
Nay,  had  the  breach  been  cut  off  by  a  retrenchment,  and  de- 
fended with  as  much  spirit  as  the  traverses  on  the  left,  it  would 
certainly  not  have  been  carried  as  it  was ;  because  an  obstacle 
would  have  been  presented  insurmountable  by  the  brave  assail- 
ant!?. 

Before  and  throughout  the  siege  the  mind  of  Tippoo  was  con- 
fused, and  his  heart  depressed  by  the  shadow  of  a  coming  ca- 
lamity. On  the  evening  of  his  funeral  the  sky  gathered  black 
with  clouds.  There  was  a  great  tempest,  tliunder  and  light- 
ning, and  so  heavy  a  rain  that  the  river  Cauvery  rose  greatly  in 
the  course  of  one  night ;  and  this  change  of  weather  would,  of 
itself,  have  greatly  interfered  with  our  operations,  had  we  been 
still  in  the  trenches.  In  the  camp  of  the  Bombay  anny  two 
British  officers  were  killed,  that  evening,  by  the  lightning. 

All  here  related,  and  much  more,  was  witnessed  by  colonel 
Wellesley,  and  forms  a  part  of  his  military  experience  as  a  sol- 
dier, and  his  moral  experience  as  a  man. 

•  There  wa«  a  pottcr'n  heap  clo«e  ti)  liii  late  wrcltliod  abixte ;  moreover, 
■tntnge  as  it  may  Bnunil.  the  younft  prince  and  liig  family  were  originally  of 
the  potter  cn»t,  which,  thoiiKh  not  vile,  is  by  no  nieanaa  hiph  one. 

t  The  (tarrison  of  Seringapatam  during  tlie  tiiege  wag  near  22,r00.  Two 
hundred  and  righty-w'vi'n  guns  were  mounted  on  tin-  fort ificationR, and  nearly 
7(10  piece* of  ordnance  were  found  In  the  four  arfiennlg ;  there  were  also  in  the 
city  two  founderiffl  for  cannon,  and  eleven  armories  for  small  arms.  Tlie 
British  loM  during  the  tkege  and  in  the  assault  was  about  i:00  killed  an4 
wounded,  of  wtaom  07  were  ofBcers. 

C2 


30  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

He  now  became  the  permanent  commandant  of  Seringapatam, 
and  in  that  office  was,  of  necessity,  charged  with  many  duties, 
and  various  arrangements,  of  a  nature  totally  distinct  from  the 
ordinary  routine  of  mere  military  service.  To  these  new  duties 
he  rose  in  a  manner  that  gained  him  much  influence  and  in- 
creasing respect. 

It  is  remembered,  that  he  early  prepared  a  paper  upon  the 
state  of  the  coinage  in  Mysore,  in  which  it  was  shown  that  he 
had  studied  the  subject,  and  was  not  less  able  to  project  a  mea- 
sure of  finance  in  the  closet  than  to  guide  a  column  in  the  field. 
To  tliis  hour,  indeed,  the  memory  of  all  these  services,  and 
more  particularly  of  those  which  he  rendered  to  the  terrified 
and  desolate  natives  in  the  moment  of  our  triumph,  and  their 
distresses,  is  cherished  by  the  aged  inhabitants  of  Seringapatam 
with  a  grateful  feeling,  with  which  we  are  unwilling  to  discon- 
nect the  after-successes  of  colonel  Wellesley's  life. 


CHAP.  IV. 

COLONEL  wellesley's  SERVICE  AGAINST  DHOONDIA,  A  LEADER  OF  PRE- 
DATORY HORSE. IS  PROMOTED  TO  THE  RANK  OF  GENERAL. TAKES 

THE  FIELD  AGAINST  THE  MAHRATTAS. VARIOUS  OPERATIONS. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  ASSAYE. PEACE. LEAVES  INDIA. 

The  tranquillity  of  the  new  conquests,  and  the  quiet  submis- 
sion of  the  country,  was  for  a  while  delayed  by  the  enterprise  of 
an  adventurer,  named  Dhoondia  Waugh. 

This  individual,  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Mysore,  of  Mahratta 
parents,  had  been  a  private  horseman  in  the  cavalry  of  Hyder, 
and  served  afterwards  in  the  army  of  his  son  with  some  petty 
command.  Being  a  restless,  ambitious  man,  and  disappointed 
of  promotion  to  the  extent  of  his  hopes,  he  deserted  the  sultan's 
service,  during  the  war  with  lord  Cornwallis,  and,  putting  him- 
self at  the  head  of  a  few  predatory  horse,  he  plundered  the  coun- 
try north  of  the  Toombudra.  His  maraud,  however,  was  checked 
and  chastised  by  the  court  of  Poonah,  whose  troops,  under  their 
chief  Ghokla,  overtook  and  defeated  him.  Induced  by  a  fair 
offer  of  Tippoo,  who  promised  both  forgiveness  and  employment, 
he  returned  to  Mysore,  at  the  head  of  two  hundred  followers. 
The  treacherous  sultan  immediately  threw  him  into  prison,  and 
invited  him  to  turn  mussulman.  Whether  this  was  to  secure 
his  allegiance,  or  to  increase  the  number  of  the  faithful,  may 
not  be  confidently  said ;  but  the  tyrant  circumcised  his  Hindoo 
prisoner  by  force,  and  subjected  him  to  very  cruel  and  rigorous 
treatment  throughout  a  long  confinement.  At  the  capture  of 
Seringapatam,  amongst  the  prisoners  hastily  set  at  liberty,  with- 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTOX.  31 

out  due  examination  and  inquiry,  was  Dhoondia  Waugh.  No 
sooner  were  his  fetters  knocked  off  tlian  his  feet  were  again  in 
the  stirrups.  Many  of  Tippoo's  horsemen,  men  of  desperate 
fortunes,  without  a  country,  a  service,  or  a  master,  became  his 
willing  followers.  With  these  people  lie  ravaged  the  rich  coun- 
try of  Biddenore ;  and  it  became  necessary  to  send  after  him 
two  strong  detachments  of  the  army,  under  colonels  Stevenson 
and  Dalrymple.  Six  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  followers,  horse 
and  foot,  were  cut  uj)  by  lieutonant-colonel  Dalrymple;  by 
whom,  and  by  colonel  Stevenson,  he  was  soon  driven  across  the 
Toombudra,  into  tlie  territory  of  the  jieishwah.  Here  hiis  old 
conqueror  Ghokla  came  upon  him,  luid  being  stripped  of  guns, 
tents,  and  baggage,  elep'iants  and  bullocks,  he  fled  north,  with 
the  very  few  horse  which,  after  this  Inst  dispersion,  ren-.ained  to 
him,  and  for  a  time  totally  disappeared. 

Nothing  is  more  remarkable  in  India  than  the  magic  growth 
of  a  predatory  force.  A  single  adventurer,  with  no  purse,  no 
possession,  but  horse  and  sword,  if  he  has  once  rode  at  the  head 
of  a  body  of  freebooters,  and  got  a  name  for  activity  and  for- 
tune, is  sure  to  be  sought  out  and  followed  by  all  whose  feet  are 
"swift  to  shed  blood,  and  to  divide  the  spoil."  The  speck, 
scarce  visible  or  noticed  in  tlie  far  distance,  approaches ;  and, 
behold,  a  heavy  cloud  black  with  the  menace  of  destruction. 
Thus,  in  18(X),  Dhoondia  rode  south  again  with  GOC'O  horse,  and 
threatened  the  frontier  of  ]\Iysore.  Against  tliis  enemy  a  force 
was  immediately  ordered  to  take  the  held,  and  colonel  Welles- 
ley  was  appointed  to  the  command.  The  colonel  crossed  the 
Toombudra  with  his  troops  on  the  24th  of  June ;  anotiier  body 
under  colonel  Bowser  marched  upon  the  same  service,  to  co- 
operate with  and  under  liim.  On  the  I29th,  from  intelligence 
he  received,  colonel  Wellesley  found  that  if  he  halted  for  colo- 
nel Bowser  he  might  lose  the  chance  of  striking  such  a  blow  at 
Dhoondia  as  would  cripple  him.  He  tlierefore  pressed  forward 
with  his  cavalry  only.  At  Malovvny  on  the  Malpoorba  he  found 
a  detached  camp  of  this  chieftain ;  rode  into  it ;  cut  up  or  drove 
into  tlie  river  all  the  combatants  he  found  there ;  took  animals, 
baggage,  &c.,  and  closed  the  affair  by  making  a  party  of  his 
European  dragoons  swim  across  the  river  and  seize  a  boat.  By 
this  means  he  contrived  the  same  evening  to  possess  himself  of 
their  guns,  which  had  been  safely  transjwrted  to  tlie  opposite 
bank  before  his  arrival.  After  various  tbrce<l  and  fatiguing 
marclies,  and  many  able  movements  conducted  witli  persever- 
ing activity  and  judgment,  colonel  Wellesley  found  himself 
within  a  few  miles  of  Dhoondia's  main  force  on  the  niglit  of 
the  9th  of  September.  Bad  wcatlier  and  jaded  horses  compelled 
him  to  a  short  halt  Luckily,  the  chief,  misled  by  the  previous 
manoeuvres  of  Wellesley,  and  misinformed  by  his  spies,  was 


32  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

ignorant  of  the  near  approach  of  the  British  troops.  After  a 
night  of  anxious  impatience,  colonel  Wellesley  bade  sound  "  To 
horse  !"  rode  forward  with  his  eager  squadrons,  and  soon  came 
in  presence  of  "  the  king  of  the  two  worlds."*  His  army,  con- 
sisting of  at  least  5000  cavalry,  for  he  had  been  strengthened 
since  his  arrival  in  the  south,  was  drawn  up  in  a  very  strong 
position  near  the  village  of  ConaguU.  His  people  put  on  a  good 
bold  countenance,  and  looked  firm.  The  colonel  most  rapidly 
formed  the  British  dragoons  and  native  cavalry ;  and  in  one 
resolute  charge,  led  by  himself,  the  fdte  of  this  lawless  horde 
was  decided.  They  were  cut  up  or  dispersed,  every  thing  in 
their  camp  taken,  and  Dhoondia  himself,  "  king  of  the  two 
worlds,"  was  slaui.  His  body  was  recognized  among  the  dead : 
it  was  immediately  lashed  upon  one  of  the  galloper  guns  attach- 
ed to  the  19th  light  dragoons,  and  brought  by  the  soldiers,  with 
no  small  exultation,  to  the  English  camp.  It  is  impossible  to 
read  the  letters  to  Sir  Thomas  (then  major)  Munro,  lately  pub- 
lished in  the  correspondence  of  that  able  and  esteemed  man,  in 
which  colonel  Wellesley  describes  these  operations,  without  the 
liveliest  interest.  The  pursuit  and  overthrow  of  this  formidable 
freebooter  are  related  with  a  flow  of  joyous  good-humor  like  the 
story  of  a  successful  hunt ;  and  the  phrases,  the  "  king  of  the 
world"  and  "his  majesty"  are  repeated  with  a  playfulness, 
which  shows  the  extreme  pleasure  Wellesley  felt  at  his  suc- 
cess, and  the  utter  insignificance  in  which  he  held  the  peril  or 
the  glory  of  such  a  combat.  At  the  same  time  it  will  be  seen 
how  much  of  thought  and  foresight ;  what  clear  arrangements 
for  supply ;  what  prompt  decision  on  routes ;  what  skill  in 
movement;  what  unwearied  perseverance,  were  exhibited  in 
the  effectual  performance  of  this  service.  With  colonel  Wel- 
lesley duty  was  never  a  trifle.  It  mattered  not  how  small  or 
great  the  object  to  be  attained.  He  gave  to  all  orders  that  he 
received  his  fixed  intelligent  attention ;  and  to  the  execution  of 
them,  for  the  time  being,  all  his  mind. 

Let  the  youthful  officer  consider  well  this  feature  in  the  char- 
acter we  place  before  him.  He  will  find  it  distinctive  of  the 
whole  career  of  Wellesley. 

The  service  just  performed  was  of  considerable  importance, 
and  checked  in  time  the  growth  of  a  vast  horde  of  pindarries, 
and  other  great  disorders.  Thus  was  tranquillity  again  restored 
to  the  territories  lately  acquired  by  the  British,  and  also  to  many 
fertile  districts  immediately  beyond  their  frontier.  The  peace- 
ful peasants  could  again  sow  and  irrigate  their  pleasant  fields  in 
security;  and,  in  "the  places  of  drawing  water,"  the  timid 

*  An  assumed  title.  It  is  thus  in  the  history  of  India  that  any  bold  adven- 
urer  founds  a  dynapty. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  33 

women  of  the  Indian  villages  were  again  delivered  from  their 
fear. 

Shortly  after  this  service,  colonel  Wellesley  was  appointed  to 
accompany  general  Baird  on  an  expedition  projected  by  the 
marquis  VVelleslcy  against  Batavia,  and  he  quitted  his  command 
in  the  Mysore.  This  expedition,  owing  to  some  misunderstand- 
ing between  the  admiral  commanding  in  the  Indian  seas  and 
the  governor-general,  as  to  tiie  extent  of  the  power  which  the 
latter  was  authorized  to  assume,  was  abandoned  by  tlie  marquis. 
The  force  under  general  Baird  was  ordered  to  Egypt,  and 
colonel  Wellesley  was  remanded  to  the  government  of  Serin- 
gapatam. 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  intention  at  home  that  colonel 
Wellesley  sljould  have  proceeded  to  Egypt  with  the  contingent 
furnished  by  the  Indian  army  ;  for  ho  was  actually  gazett^  to 
the  local  rank  of  a  brigadier-general  in  tliat  country.  A  scene, 
however,  of  very  active  and  important  operations  was  just  about 
to  open  upon  his  prospects  in  India ;  and,  witli  a  separate  and 
independent  command,  ho  soon  gave  to  the  name  of  Wellesley 
that  splendor  which  did  ever  after  increase,  till  at  last  it  shone 
out,  eftulgent  in  meridian  glory,  over  the  field  of  Waterloo. 

It  may  readily  be  supposed  that  the  Mahratta  chiefs  had 
viewed  the  late  successes  of  the  British  in  Mysore  with  an  evil 
eye.  In  the  policy  which  had  suggested  the  destruction  of 
Tippoo's  kingdom,  and  in  the  power  wliich  that  prompt,  vigor- 
ous, and  decisive  measure  had  exliibited,  they  saw,  or  suspected, 
the  danger  of  then-  own  states.  The  British  government,  de- 
sirous to  establish  such  an  alliance  with  the  peishwah  as  might 
preserve  the  general  tranquillity,  made  offer  to  that  prince  of  a 
portion  of  the  territories  conquered  from  Tippco,  and  such  other 
proposals  as  indicated  a  sincere  desire  to  preserve  with  that 
court  relations  of  the  most  strict  amity.  The  territory  was  re- 
fused, and  the  proposals  were  rejected.  The  secret  of  this  re- 
fusal lay  in  the  simple  fact,  that  Scindia,  with  a  large  army,  and 
almost  the  whole  of  his  French  brigades,  continued  at  Poonali, 
and  controlled  every  action  of  the  court. 

In  June,  1802,  intelligence  of  the  peace  of  Amiens  reached 
India,  which  was  thus  reopened  to  PVench  atlventurers  end 
French  intrigue.  Fortunately,  at  this  very  moment,  the  two 
chiefs,  Scindia  and  Ilolkar,  were  at  variance.  The  latter,  a 
fierce  man,  always  in  his  element  when  in  the  work  of  devas- 
tation, was  laying  waste  the  country  of  the  other  ;  that  part  of 
it,  at  least,  whicli  lies  north  of  the  Nerbuddah.  If,  however, 
aa  was  probable,  Scindia  should  obtain,  by  the  defeat  of  his  rival, 
the  sole  ascendency  in  the  Mahratta  empire,  the  English  fore- 
saw tliat  the  weight  of  its  military  resources  would  assuredly, 
sooner  or  later,  be  directed  against  themselves.    There  couM 


34  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

be  little  doubt,  from  the  constitution  of  his  army,  and  from  the 
influence  of  his  French  officers,  that  he  might,  and  would,  es- 
tablish a  military  power  in  the  heart  of  India,  by  which  the  very 
existence  of  the  British  government  in  the  East  would  be  en- 
dangered. The  country  of  the  peishwali  had  been  now  the 
scene  of  continual  conflict  for  years,  and  was  greatly  exhausted 
by  the  constant  influx  of  fresh  and  hungry  hordes  of  horse,  who 
came  to  fight,  under  one  banner  or  another,  for  the  sovereignty 
of  the  Mahratta  empire.  It  was  evident  that  these  lawless 
crowds,  if  not  impelled  by  their  natural  thirst  for  plunder,  must 
soon  be  driven  to  invade  our  territories,  or  those  of  the  nizam, 
our  ally,  from  the  mere  want  of  food. 

In  the  autumn  of  1802,  Holkar  came  down  upon  Poonah  in 
great  strength,  and  compelled  Scindia  to  battle.  The  peishwah 
was  under  an  obligation  to  join  Scindia  with  his  troops,  and 
promised,  moreover,  his  personal  presence  in  the  field.  On  the 
day  of  battle  he  mounted  his  elephant,  indeed,  and  took  seat  in 
his  war  howdah ;  but  nothing  was  further  from  his  intention 
than  risking  his  person  among  the  spearmen  of  Holkar.  He 
therefore  lingered  near  the  walls  of  the  city,  ready  alike  for 
flight  or  congratulation.  Holkar  won  the  day,  and,  upon  the 
very  earliest  report  from  the  scene  of  conflict,  which  showed 
clearly  to  which  side  victory  inclmed,  the  peishwah,  whose 
cunning  was  as  notorious  as  his  cowardice,  fled  away.  He  pro- 
ceeded to  Bassein,  in  Guzerat,  and  here  very  readily  concluded 
a  treaty  with  the  British  ;  whereby  he  consented  to  receive  a 
subsidiary  force,  to  cede  territory  for  its  subsistence,  and  to  dis- 
charge all  French  and  foreign  adventurers  from  his  service. 
The  Madras  army,  under  the  command  of  general  Stuart,  ad- 
vanced to  the  banlvs  of  the  Toombudra  to  support  this  treaty. 
Colonel  Wellesley,  in  the  spring  of  1802,  had  been  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  major-general ;  and  in  that  rank  he  now  again  took 
the  field.  He  was,  upon  this  occasion,  detached  with  a  select 
corps  in  front  of  general  Stuart,  and  directed  to  march  on 
Poonah,  to  drive  away  the  troops  of  Holkar,  and  make  safe  the 
return  of  the  peishwah,  who  was  already  on  his  way  again  to 
take  possession  of  his  capital.  In  co-operation  with  the  subsid- 
iary force  of  the  Deccan,  which  moved  under  the  orders  of 
colonel  Stevenson,  he  advanced  rapidly.  On  his  route,  intelli- 
gence reached  him  that  Amrat  Rao,  a  relation  of  Holkar,  and  a 
chief,  liad  threatened  to  plunder  the  city  before  he  departed 
north.  General  Wellesley,  with  that  promptitude  and  perse- 
verance which  have  always  marked  his  discharge  of  duty,  broke 
up  instantly,  performed  a  march  of  sixty  miles  in  thirty  hours, 
and  entered  Poonah  with  his  cavalry  on  the  20th  of  April :  the 
Mahrattas  fled  at  his  approach,  and  the  city  was  saved.  The 
climate  and  season  considered,  this  was  a  prodigious  exertion 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  35 

for  the  European  part  of  liis  force ;  indeed,  for  all.  It  is  remark- 
able, however,  but  true,  that,  for  a  brief  campaign,  the  Europe- 
ans in  India,  from  their  pride  and  energy,  and  from  a  certain 
vigor  of  original  constitution,  will  endure  hardship,  exposure  to 
the  sun,  and  fatigue,  better  than  the  majority  of  the  natives ; 
but,  afterwards,  alas !  they  pay  the  heavy  price  of  their  exer- 
tions. When  the  moral  excitement  has  passed  away,  they  often 
sink  into  supineness ;  disease  invades  them,  and  the  gallant  fel- 
lows wither  into  yellow  and  bloodless  men ;  and,  while  yet  scarce 
at  mid-age  tliemselves,  so  die.  It  is  well  to  mark  these  things; 
for  thousands  upon  thousands  of  soldiers,  in  all  armies,  and  in 
all  countries,  sink  down  into  early  graves,  which  their  own 
services  have  dug,  without  the  eclat  of  battle, — without  one 
leaf  of  laurel  to  mingle  with  the  unwelcome  cypress. 

Happily  the  noble  subject  of  these  memoirs  was  gifted  with 
a  frame  well  calculated  for  the  sustaining  of  all  fatigues,  and  a 
sound,  vigorous  constitution.  General  Wellesley  was  a  little 
above  the  middle  height,  well  limbed,  and  muscular ;  with  little 
encumbrance  of  flesh  beyond  that  which  gives  shape  and  manli- 
ness to  the  outline  of  the  figure ;  witli  a  firm  tread ;  an  erect 
carriage ;  a  countenance  strongly  patrician,  both  in  feature, 
profile,  and  expression ;  and  an  appearance  remarkable  and  dis- 
tinguished :  few  could  approach  him  on  any  duty,  or  on  any 
subject  requiring  his  serious  attention,  without  bein^  sensible 
of  a  something  strange  and  pcnetratuig  in  his  clear  light  eye. 
Notliing  could  be  more  simple  and  straightforward  than  the 
matter  of  what  he  uttered ;  nor  did  he  ever  in  his  life  afl^ect  any 
peculiarity  or  pomp  of  manner,  or  rise  to  any  coarse,  weak  loud- 
ness in  his  tone  of  voice.  It  was  not  so  that  he  gave  expression 
to  excited  feeling. 

It  may  be  here  with  propriety  observed,  and  it  is  important 
to  the  younger  oflUcers  who  may  read  this,  that  general  Wel- 
lesley was  a  man  temperate  in  all  his  habits ;  using  tlie  table, 
but  above  its  pleasures:  and  it  is  not  to  be  found  on  record,  that 
he  was  ever  the  slave  of  any  of  those  frailties,  without  an  occa- 
sional subjection  to  which  few  men  pass  the  fiery  ordeal  of  a 
soldier's  life.  He  was,  however,  much  in  camps ;  and  a  camp 
is  80  truly  the  nursery  of  manly  virtues,  that  few  officers  ad- 
vanced in  life  can  look  back  upon  days  so  unoffending,  or  nights 
of  such  light  rejxjse,  as  those  passed  in  tlie  ready  field.  To  sum 
all  up,  he  was  a  British  nobleman  serving  his  king  and  country 
with  heart  and  hand ;  and  while  British  noblemen  continue  to 
do  thus,  may  their  lands  be  broad,  tlicir  mansions  wide,  and  their 
names  honored ! 

The  pcishwah  again  entered  Poonah,  aed  was  again  enthroned 
upon  his  own  musnud,  on  the  13th  of  May.  The  defensive  alli- 
ance with  him  having  been  thus  peaceably  effected,  it  was  hoped 


36  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

that  Scindia  would  return  quietly  to  liis  own  country.  This 
hope  was  vain.  Scindia  and  the  rajah  of  Berar,  who  were 
together  in  the  field,  made  a  menacing  movement  towards  the 
frontier  of  our  ally,  the  nizam.  Explanation  of  this  conduct 
was  immediately  demanded :  the  replies  were  evasive.  Informa- 
tion was  just  at  this  time  received  of  a  secret  and  active  cor- 
respondence between  Scindia  and  Holkar ;  and  it  was  privately 
known  that  a  league  hostile  to  the  British  was  on  the  very 
eve  of  being  concluded. 

Under  all  these  circumstances,  tlie  marquis  Wellesley,  with 
that  large  and  comprehensive  wisdom  which  sees  when  and 
where  to  delegate  authority,  invested  the  officers  in  command 
of  the  armies  of  Hindostan  and  the  Deccan  with  full  civil  and 
political  powers ;  for,  in  the  upper  provinces  of  the  Bengal  gov- 
ernment, as  well  as  in  the  Deccan,  our  troops  were  in  the  field. 
The  army  of  Hindostan  was  commanded  by  lord  Lake. 

To  major-general  Wellesley,  however,  in  particular,  was  sent 
a  specific  authority  to  conclude  peace  or  to  engage  in  hostilities, 
as  his  judgment,  guided  by  his  knowledge  of  the  objects  of  gov- 
ernment, might  suggest  to  be  most  advantageous  for  the  public 
interests.  The  major-general  immediately  demanded  of  Scindia 
that  he  should  separate  his  army  from  that  of  the  rajah  of  Berar, 
and  retire  across  the  Nerbuddah.  He  promised,  on  his  own  part, 
that  the  British  troops  should  resume  their  ordinary  stations  the 
very  moment  that  tliis  requisition  was  complied  with. 

Oriental  diplomatists  are  grand  masters  in  all  the  little  arts 
of  evasion  and  delay,  deceit  and  falsehood.  Seldom,  however, 
was  a  man  born  better  calculated  to  deal  witli  such  diplomatists 
tlian  general  Wellesley.  He  saw  through  them,  and  had  a 
straightforward  method  of  dealing,  and  a  bold  and  fearless 
decision,  which  at  once  confused  and  confounded  them. 

They  continued  their  professions  of  good  faith,  and  they  re- 
peated proposals  already  rejected,  till  it  was  evident  to  the  gene- 
ral that  time  enough  to  perfect  their  plans  and  to  prepare  the 
hostile  combinations  was  their  sole  object.  The  general,  with 
his  forces,  awaited  the  issue  of  the  negotiations  in  a  camp  near 
Walkee,  no  gTcat  distance  from  the  city  of  Ahmednuggur,  a 
strong  fort  belonging  to  Scindia,  and  situate  about  eighty  miles 
from  Poonah.  It  was  on  the  6th  of  August  he  learned  that  his 
political  agent,  colonel  Collins,  acting  up  to  the  true  spirit  of  his 
instructions,  had  quitted  the  camp  of  Scindia.  There  had  just 
been  a  heavy  fall  of  rain ;  and,  from  the  state  of  the  roads,  which 
immediately  near  him  lay  over  soft  cotton  ground,  it  was  not 
possible  for  him  to  mo^^  on  the  7th,  but  on  the  morning  of  the 
8th  he  broke  up  the  epcampment,  and  marched  to  Ahmednug- 
gur. The  town,  or  pettali  of  this  place,  is  defended  by  a  very 
lofty  wall  of  masonry,  without  any  ramparts,  and  flimked  at 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLTNGTOX.  37 

every  angle  or  bend  by  a  tower.  This  pettah  was  garrisoned 
by  a  regular  battalion  of  Scindia's  infantry,  supported  by  a  body 
of  those  brave  mercenaries,  the  Arabs,  who  are  often  found  in 
the  fortresses  of  the  Deccan.  A  body  of  horse  was  encamped 
immediately  behind  the  town,  in  the  open  space  between  it  and 
the  fort.  General  Wcllesley  directed  the  a.ssault  of  tlie  pettah 
the  very  moment  lie  came  before  it.  The  place  was  gallantly 
carried  by  escalade,  with  the  loss  of  118  killed  and  wounded. 
The  suffering  was  principally  from  the  Arabs,  who,  both  on  the 
towers  and  in  the  streets,  offered  a  brave  but  ineffectual  resist- 
ance. Lieutenant-colonels  Harness  and  Wallace,  and  captain 
Vesey,  with  the  flank  companies  of  the  78th,  the  74th,  and  1st 
battalion  3d  native  infantry,  performed  this  service  rapidly,  and 
in  a  daring  and  dauntless  style.  On  the  10th  the  general  opened 
a  battery  against  the  fort  The  killedar  proposed  to  treat,  and 
requested  that  the  fire  might  cease  while  the  terms  were  under 
discussion.  The  general  expressed  his  readiness  to  treat,  but 
the  guns  continued  to  play  upon  the  fort.  On  the  11th  the 
killedar  sent  out  vakeels  to  offer  a  surrender ;  but  it  was  not 
till  five  in  the  evening  that  liis  hostages  arrived  in  the  Britisli 
camp,  nor  till  that  very  hour  would  the  general  allow  his  bat- 
teries to  cease  their  fire  for  a  moment,  save  to  cool  the  guns. 
On  the  12th  the  killedar  and  a  garrison  of  1400  men  marched 
out  He  was  permitted  to  take  away  his  own  private  property, 
and  that  of  the  inhabitants  was  also  preserved  to  them.  This 
fortress  secured  the  communication  with  Poonah,  afforded  a  safe 
dep6t,  and  was  the  centre  and  the  capital  of  a  district  yielding 
634,000  rupees. 

On  the  24th  general  Wellcsley  crossed  the  Godavery,  with 
the  whole  of  his  force,  and  reached  the  large  and  noble  city  of 
Aurungabad  on  the  29th.  There  are  pleasant  breaks  in  tlie  hot 
toils  of  marching  and  campaigning  in  India,  when  a  place  is 
approached  that  rewards  the  gaze,  as  riding  slowly  up,  dome, 
cupola,  and  tall  minar  rise  grandly  in  the  distance; — objects 
singularly  noble  and  picturesque  in  themselves,  but  doubly  so 
with  the  adjuncts  of  the  palm-tree  and  feathery  cocoa-nut,  and 
that  sunset  sky,  where  long  dark  stripes,  of  the  very  blackest 
purple,  divide  the  deep,  the  glowing  vermilion,  after  a  manner 
that  no  painter  either  could  or  would  dare  to  copy.  These 
things,  and  a  soowarree,*  perhaps,  coming  on  tlie  way  with 
huge  elephant,  and  camels,  and  long-maned  horses,  fretting 
handsome  under  tlieir  weighty  housings,  and  their  turbanea 
riders,  and  all  the  historic  associations  that  crowd  up  to  culti- 
vated minds  at  tiie  sight; — these  are  thobeguilements  of  Indian 
marches ;  and  are,  after  different  mannens  and  degrees,  delight- 

*  A  train,  tbe  retinue  of  a  neat  man. 
Vol-  I.  D 


38  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

fill  alike  to  the  march-worn  soldier,  and  to  the  thoughtful  leader 
riding  in  the  van. 

As  soon  as  the  enemy  heard  of  the  arrival  of  general  Welles- 
ley  at  Aurungabad,  they  moved  from  Jalna  to  the  southvk^ard  and 
eastward,  menacing  a  march  upon  Hyderabad.  The  general 
marching  eastward,  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Godavery,  frus- 
trated their  design  effectually;  and,  by  the  same  movement, 
covered  the  safe  advance  of  two  important  convoys  coming  up 
from  Moodgul.  The  enemy  now  returned  to  the  nortliward  of 
Jalna.  Colonel  Stevenson  attacked  and  carried  that  fort  on  the 
2d  of  September :  upon  the  night  of  the  9th  he  surprised  a  de- 
tached encampment  of  the  enemy,  created  no  small  disturbance 
and  alarm,  and  caused  them  much  loss.  The  confederate  chief- 
tains had  hitherto  been  marching  solely  with  their  cavalry,  sup- 
ported by  a  few  thousand  of  the  irregular  foot,  armed  with 
matchlocks.  They  were  now  joined  by  sixteen  battalions  of 
regular  infantry,  and  a  large  train  of  artillery,  imder  the  com- 
mand of  French  officers.  The  whole  of  these  forces  were 
collected  at  Bokerdun,  and  lay  between  that  place  and  Jaffi- 
erabad. 

On  the  21st  of  September,  general  Wellesley  and  colonel 
Stevenson  met  and  conferred  at  Budnapoor,  They  here  ar- 
ranged a  combined  attack  of  the  enemy  for  the  morning  of  the 
24th.  Stevenson  was  detached  by  the  western  route,  the  gene- 
ral himself  taking  the  eastern ;  in  order  that  by  this  division  of 
the  force  they  might  be  enabled  to  effect  the  passage  of  the 
defiles  in  one  day,  and  by  occupying  both  prevent  the  enemy 
from  escaping  to  the  southward ; — a  mancEuvre  by  which  they 
might  otherwise  have  avoided  the  encounter  of  our  army  at  that 
time,  and,  perhaps,  altogether.  The  common  hircarralis  of  the 
country  reported  the  enemy  to  be  at  Bokerdun  ;  and,  according 
to  the  information  which  he  had  received  about  roads  and  dis- 
tances, the  general  directed  his  march,  so  as  to  encamp  within 
twelve  miles  of  that  place  on  the  21st.  When  on  the  morning 
of  that  day  he  arrived  at  the  proposed  halting  ground,  he  learn- 
ed, to  his  surprise,  that  he  was  only  six  miles  from  Bokerdun. 
At  the  same  time  intelligence  was  brought,  that  the  cavalry  of 
the  Mahratta  camp  were  already  in  movement  to  the  rear,  and 
that  the  infantry  and  guns  were  preparing  to  follow.  The 
general  determined  to  march  upon  the  infantry,  and  engage 
it.  He  sent  a  messenger  to  Stevenson,  then  about  eiglit  miles 
to  his  left,  to  apprize  him  of  this  intention,  and  to  direct  his 
advance. 

The  camp  colors  were  plucked  from  the  ground,  and  the  lit- 
tle army  of  Wellesley  marched  on.  With  the  19th  light  dra- 
goons, and  three  regiments  of  native  cavalry  under  colonel 
Maxwell,  the  genersd  himself  advanced  to  reconnoitre.    The 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  39 

infentry  followed.  After  a  march  of  about  four  miles,  from  an 
elevated  plain  in  front  of  their  right  he  beheld  the  Mahratta 
camp.  A  host  of  near  50,000  combatants,  horse,  foot,  and  artil- 
lery, lay  strongly  posted  behind  the  river  Kaitna.  A  smaller 
stream,  called  the  Juah,  flowed  past  their  rear ;  and  its  waters 
joined  those  of  the  Kaitna  at  a  point  considerably  beyond  their 
left,  leaving  there  a  vacant  peninsulated  piece  of  ground  of 
some  space.  The  line  of  the  enemy  ran  east  and  west  along 
the  northern  bank  of  the  Kaitna.  The  infantry  lay  upon  the 
left,  and  all  tlie  guns.  The  position  of  this  wing  was  a  little 
retired  upon  the  Juah,  having  its  point  (Tappui  on  the  village 
of  Assaye,  which  leaned  upon  that  river.  The  right  consisted 
entirely  of  cavalry.  The  north  bank  of  the  Kaitna  is  high, 
rocky,  and  difficult ;  the  front,  for  the  most  part,  unassailable. 

Upon  his  bay  Arabian  sat  Wellesley,  just  opposite  the  ene- 
my's right,  then  distant  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  presenting 
to  his  view,  in  one  magnificent  mass,  30,000  horses.  The 
cavalry  under  Maxwell  formed  up  their  brilliant  line,  and  re- 
mained steady.  Wellesley  with  rapid  glance  surveyed  the 
ground.  From  beneath  the  thick  plumes  of  red  horse-hair, 
which  drooped  over  their  bronzed  cheeks,  the  manly  eyes  of  the 
bold  19th  dragoons  looked  on  severely.  The  general  resolved 
for  battle.  That  this  was  the  calm  decision  of  a  consulted 
judgment  is  not  probable ;  but  "  there  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs 
of  men :"  he  felt  it  swelling  in  his  bosom,  and  took  it  at  the 
happy  ebb. 

A  body  of  the  enemy's  horse  moved  out,  advanced  to  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  British  cavalry,  and  threw  out  skirmishers, 
who  fired  a  few  shots.  Some  British  troopers  were  ordered  to 
drive  back  these  skirmishers,  and  all  again  was  quiet  The 
general,  observing  a  spot  with  a  few  houses  beyond  tlie  left  of 
the  enemy,  where  tliere  was  probably  a  ford,  and  which  he  saw 
they  had  neglected  to  guard,  resolved  to  pass  the  Kaitna  at  that 
point ;  to  throw  his  small  force  entire  upon  that  flank  ;  to  attack 
tlieir  infantry  and  guns ;  and  thus  to  neutralize  the  presence  of 
their  vast  cavalry,  or  compel  them  to  bring  it  into  action  under 
very  confiising  disadvantages,  and  on  a  more  confined  field.  A 
bright  and  bold  conception. 

The  general,  bidding  Maxwell  keep  his  present  ground  for  a 
time,  went  back,  and  brought  up  tlie  infantry  in  person.  With 
these  last,  in  steady  columns,  he  now  moved  down  upon  the 
river.  They  marched  silent  and  firm,  every  man  in  his  place. 
It  was  to  be  the  triumph  of  discipline.  The  courage  of  the 
heart  was  to  be  aided  by  the  quick  eye,  the  obedient  ear,  and 
the  keeping  calmly  in  the  ranks.  A  cannonade  played  upon 
their  line  of  march  as  they  approached  the  ford :  it  was  distant, 
and  without  effect    As  they  passed  up  out  of  the  river,  and  the 


40  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

head  of  the  column  gained  the  clear  ground  above,  a  field  bat- 
tery, within  range,  opened  upon  them  hotly.  It  was  at  this  tlie 
anxious  moment  of  directing  with  care  the  formation  of  the 
lines  for  battle,  that  the  orderly  dragoon,  riding  close  to  the 
general,  had  his  skull  torn  away  by  a  cannon-ball.  The  horse, 
feeling  the  relaxed  bridle  and  collapsing  limb  of  his  rider,  fell  a 
trembling,  and  kicked  and  plunged  franticly,  till  he  got  quit  of 
the  corpse.  An  incident  not  worth  the  notice,  but  for  the  mo- 
ment of  its  occurrence,  and  the  trouble  it  caused  to  those  imme- 
diately near. 

Under  this  cannonade  general  Wellesley  formed  up  his  people 
in  three  lines ;  two  of  infantry,  the  third  of  his  cavalry ;  which, 
as  soon  as  the  columns  had  crossed  the  ford,  rode  smartly  down 
from  their  position,  and  took  battle  station  in  reserve.  As  a 
watching  check  upon  the  enemy's  right,  were  left  the  Mysore 
horse  and  some  cavalry  of  the  peishwah's  which  marched  with 
our  army ;  but,  though  useful  here,  they  could  not  be  ventured 
in  the  fight. 

The  order  of  battle  being  thus  skilfully  changed,  the  infantry 
of  Scindia  was  compelled  to  present  a  new  front.  They  did  so 
with  greater  ease  than  was  expected.  The  line  they  now 
formed  rested  with  its  right  upon  the  Kaitna,  and  its  left  upon 
the  village  of  Assaye  and  the  Juah.  The  front  now  presented 
by  the  enemy  was  one  vast  battery,  especially  towards  the  left, 
so  numerous  and  weighty  were  the  guns,  and  so  thickly  were 
they  disposed  immediately  near  the  village. 

The  fire  was  rapid,  furious,  and  terrible  in  execution:  the 
British  guns,  few  in  number,  opened  as  the  line  advanced,  but 
were  almost  on  the  instant  silenced.  Their  gunners  dropped 
fast,  and  the  cattle  fell  lacerated  or  killed  beside  them.  With 
the  fierceness  of  the  struggle  and  the  fearfulness  of  the  hazard, 
the  undaunted  spirit  of  the  general  rose.  He  at  once  aban- 
doned the  guns,  and  directed  an  advance  with  the  bayonet : 
with  the  main  body  he  soon  forced  and  drove  the  enemy's  right, 
possessing  himself  of  their  guns  by  a  resolute  charge. 

During  this  movement,  the  pickets  and  74th  regiment  were 
losing  men  so  fast  by  the  fire  from  Assaye,  tliat  a  body  of  Mah- 
ratta  horse,  which,  hastening  to  that  flank,  had  moved  round  the 
village,  charged  them,  and  with  severe  effect;  though  the 
heart,  or  centre,  of  the  74th  still  held  gallantly  together.  Max- 
well, with  his  dragoons,  rode  swiftly  to  their  rescue,  and  spur- 
ring hard  upon  their  assailants,  drove  them,  with  great  slaughter, 
across  the  Juah.  Amid  a  shower  of  musketry  and  grape,  this 
leader  and  his  cavalry  rode  on  through  the  enemy's  left :  the 
gallant  remnant  of  the  pickets  and  74th  pressed  on,  and  the 
battle  was  already  won.  The  sepoys  of  the  main  body,  pos- 
sessed in  great  part  the  very  ground  on  which  the  enemy  had 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTOX.  41 

stood,  and  the  guns  which  he  had  fought  to  the  last,  the  gunners 
in  many  mstances  actually  suflering  themselves  to  be  bayoneted 
at  their  posts,  in  others  lying  detul,  as  it  seemed,  under  their 
carmon.  These  sepoys  rushed  on  in  pursuit.  Their  officers 
could  not  control  their  elated  ardor;  but,  happily  the  78th 
British,  upon  the  left  of  all  this  early  exultation,  stood  firm  and 
steady,  with  unbroken  ranks.  A  cloud  of  the  enemy's  horse 
hung  dark  upon  the  hill  above,  ready  to  burst,  like  a  torrent, 
upon  the  brave  coniusion,  but  they  durst  not  dash  and  break,  as 
they  must  have  done,  upon  that  rock. 

Some  of  Scindia's  routed  battalions  clustered  confusedly  near 
Assaye,  where  numbers  of  the  infantry  and  gunners,  who  had 
cast  themselves  upon  the  earth,  to  avoid  the  sabres  of  tlie  cav- 
alry, by  feigning  death,  started  up,  and  joined  them.  This  body 
attempted  a  new  formation ;  again  opened  the  guns ;  and  re- 
newed the  battle. 

A  large  column  of  the  enemy,  already  in  full  retreat,  rallied 
at  the  hopeful  sound,  turned,  and  formed  again.  These  the 
brave  Maxwell  checked  by  a  gallant  charge,  and  in  this  good 
service  closed  his  honorable  life.  Among  the  last  efforts  of  a 
day  of  efforts  was  a  second  attack  of  the  formidable  artillery 
near  the  village  of  Assaye.  This  general  Wellesley  led  up  in 
person,  at  the  head  of  the  78th  and  7th  native  cavalry.  The 
enemy  fled  without  awaiting  the  shock ;  but  as  the  general  was 
advancing,  his  horse,  struck  by  a  cannon-shot  that  carried  away 
its  leg,  fell  under  him.  A  field,  flowing  with  bloo<l,  black  with 
abandoned  cannon,  and  covered  with  slain,  remained  in  posses- 
sion of  the  British.  It  was  near  dark  when  the  firing  ceased. 
That  night  Wellesley  lay  down,  and  slept  upon  the  field  of  bat- 
tle. For  a  time,  this  day,  "  the  die  had  spun  doubtful ;"  but  the 
secret  impulse  which  prompted  him  to  give  the  battle,  did  still, 
through  all  its  thunder,  wiiisper  in  his  ear,  "  Victory  ! "  The 
t*jss  and  fiery  tramp  of  his  favorite  Arab  were  stilled  in  death, 
but  the  spur  of  the  rider  was  not  cold.  A  favoring  Providence 
had  shone  kind  on  his  bold  hopes,  and  covered  his  head  in  bat- 
tle. This  success  involved  mighty  consequences.  "  Never," 
says  Dr.  Southey,  "was  any  victory  gained  under  so  many  dis- 
advantages. Superior  arms  and  discipline  have  often  prevailed 
against  as  great  a  numerical  difference ;  but  it  would  be  de- 
scribing the  least  part  of  this  day's  glory  to  say,  that  the  num- 
bers of  the  enemy  were  as  ten  to  one :  they  had  disciplined 
troops  in  tlie  field  under  European  officers,  wJio  more  than 
doubled  the  British  force ;  they  had  a  hundred  pieces  of  can- 
non, which  were  served  with  perfect  skill;  and  which  the 
British,  witliout  the  aid  of  artillery,  twice  won  with  the 
bayonet"* 

*  Quarterly  Review,  vol.  liii.  p.  S2S. 
D? 


45  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

The  loss  of  his  little  band  was  a  third  killed  and  wounded  : 
the  sepoys  had  vied  with  the  Bi'itish  in  ardor;  and  the  native 
cavalry  had  rode  stirrup  to  stirrup  with  the  heroes  of  the  19th 
dragoons.  Of  the  enemy,  twelve  hundred  were  found  dead 
upon  the  field ;  their  wounded  were  countless,  and  scattered 
over  all  the  immediate  neighborhood. 

Scindia  now  wrote,  by  a  minister,  to  general  Wellesley,  art- 
fully inviting  him  to  send  an  officer  to  the  Mahratta  camp  to 
treat.  This  the  general  of  course  refused ;  but  expressed  his 
readiness  to  receive,  in  his  own  encampment,  any  person  duly 
empowered  by  the  confederates  to  negotiate  terms  of  peace. 
Operations  were  continued.  Burhanpoor  surrendered  to  colonel 
vStevenson  on  the  16th  of  October,  and  the  strong  fort  of  As- 
seerghur  capitulated  on  the  21st.  On  the  11th  of  November, 
Scindia,  with  little  sincerity  of  intention  for  peace,  sent  an  am- 
bassador to  the  British  camp.  After  various  conferences  a  truce 
was  agreed  upon  between  Scindia  and  the  British  in  the  Deccan 
and  Guzerat.  The  principal  conditions  were,  that  Scindia's 
people  should  occupy  a  position  forty  miles  east  of  Ellichpoor, 
and  that  the  British  should  not  advance  farther  into  his  terri- 
tories. This  truce  was  concluded  the  23d  of  November.  While 
it  was  going  forward,  general  Wellesley  had  descended  the 
Bajoorah  pass  to  co-oi^erate  with  colonel  Stevenson,  whose  corps 
he  had  directed  upon  Gawilghur,  a  fort  belonging  to  the  rajah 
of  Berar,  witli  whom  there  had  been  no  cessation  of  hostilities. 
Upon  the  28th  of  November  the  general  came  up  with  a  large 
body  of  Scindia's  horse  in  company  with  the  army  of  Berar. 
Taking  a  just  and  ready  advantage  of  the  non-fulfilment  of  the 
conditions  of  the  truce,  he  resolved  to  attack  them.  He  there- 
fore marched  forwards  to  Parterly,  where  he  was  joined  by 
colonel  Stevenson.  The  day  was  sultry  hot,  the  troops  were 
fatigued,  and  he  designed  no  further  movement  till  tiie  evening; 
but  the  enemy's  horse  appeared  in  his  front  very  strong,  and 
skirmished  with  the  cavalry. of  Mysore.  The  general  supported 
the  Mysoreans  by  pushing  forward  the  pickets  of  infantry,  and 
went  out  in  person  to  reconnoitre,  and  take  up  ground  for  his 
camp.  To  his  joy  he  found  the  confederates  drawn  up  on  the 
plains  of  Argaum  in  order  of  battle.  Scindia's  horse  formed 
one  heavy  mass  upon  the  right ;  upon  their  left  were  the  Berar 
infantry  and  guns,  fianked  by  their  own  cavalry ;  while,  on 
Scindia's  extreme  right,  hovered  a  vast  cloud  of  pindarries  and 
light  troops.  The  united  forces  occupied  a  front  of  five  miles, 
having  the  village  of  Argaum,  with  its  gardens  and  inclosures, 
in  their  rear,  and  a  plain,  intersected  by  watercourses,  in  their 
front.  Scindia  and  Munnoo  Bapoo,  brother  to  the  rajah  of 
Berar,  commanded  this  force  in  person.  General  Wellesley 
moved  down  on  them  in  one  compact  column,  and  rapidly  formed 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  43 

his  lines  of  attack ;  the  first  composed  of  infantry,  the  second 
of  cavalry.  The  Mogul  and  Mysore  horse  covered  his  left,  aod 
protected  his  rear.  As  the  British  line  advanced,  a  large  body 
of  Persian  soldiers,  in  the  pay  of  Berar,  rushed  upon  the  74m 
and  78th  regiments,  and  maintained  a  short  and  des[)erate  con- 
flict at  close  quarters.  They  were  destroyed.  At  the  same 
time,  tlie  cavalry  of  Scindia  made  a  fierce  and  crowded  charge 
upon  a  battalion  of  native  infantry  (the  2Gth).  They  were  re- 
ceived witli  steadmess,  and  repulsed  with  a  loss  so  hea'.y,  that 
they  fled  in  confusion.  Victorious  on  all  points,  the  British  line 
pressed  forward ;  the  enemy  gave  way  in  every  direction,  and 
abandoned  eight-and-thirty  pieces  of  artillery  to  their  conquerors. 
The  cavalry  pursued  by  moonlight,  and  captured  their  elephants 
and  baggage. 

The  army  marched  instantly  to  mvest  Gawilghur,  a  strong 
fortress  upon  a  lofty  and  rocky  height,  fortified  by  such  walls, 
ramparts,  and  towers,  as  look  inaccessible.  The  heavy  ordnance 
and  stores  were  dragged,  by  hand,  over  a  most  difficult  country. 
On  the  night  of  the  12th,  colonel  Stevenson  broke  ground,  and 
erected  two  batteries  against  the  north  face  of  the  fort ;  wliile 
general  Wellesley,  on  his  part,  upon  the  steep  side  of  a  moun- 
tain, that  looked  on  the  south  defences,  constructed  another 
battery,  with  a  view  to  breach  the  wall  near  the  south  gate ;  or, 
at  all  events,  to  cause  a  diversion.  On  the  13th  these  batteries 
opened.  On  tlie  night  of  tlie  14th  tlie  breaches  in  the  walls  of 
the  outer  fort  became  practicable ;  at  ten  the  next  morning  the 
place  was  carried  by  assault.  The  columns  on  the  north  stormed 
the  breaches,  and  tlie  troops  on  tlie  south  side  entered  by  esca- 
lade. Afler  this  blow  tlie  rajali  of  Berar  sent  in  an  ambassador, 
and  proposed  peace. 

The  negotiations  were  opened  on  the  16th  of  December,  and 
concluded  the  following  day.  The  general  now  communicated 
to  Scindia  tliat  he  should  consider  the  truce  at  an  end  from  De- 
cember the  27tl),  and  should  act  accordingly.  On  tlie  28th  of 
December  general  Campbell  dispersed  a  Pindarrce  force  of 
10,000  men  at  Moodiaiioor.  On  the  29tli  Scindia's  vakeels 
closed  with  the  terms  of  general  Wellesley ;  and  a  treaty  of 
peace  between  their  humbled  master  and  the  Britisli  govern- 
ment was  ratified  and  signed. 

The  conduct  of  this  war  would  of  itself  liavc  conferred  a 
deatliloss  fame  on  general  Wellesley.  It  was  glory  enough  for 
a  single  life ;  and  would  have  secured  for  him  a  niche  in  history. 

A  monument  in  memory  of  the  battle  of  Assaye  was  erected 
at  Calcutta.  The  inhabitants  of  that  city  presented  him  witli  a 
sword ;  and  his  own  officers  testified  tlicir  attachment  and  admi- 
ration, by  the  gift  of  a  golden  vase. 


44  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

In  England,  the  thanks  of  parliament  were  voted  him,  and  he 
was  made  a  knight-companion  of  the  Bath. 

Of  all  the  honors  paid  him,  none  was  more  affecting  than  the 
parting  address  of  the  people  of  Seringapatam.  They  implored 
"  the  God  of  all  castes  and  of  all  nations  to  hear  their  constant 
prayer ;  and  wherever  greater  affairs  than  the  government  of 
them  might  call  liim,  to  bestow  on  him  liealth,  glory,  and  hap- 
piness :" — a  prayer  by  which  the  integrity  and  mildness  of  the 
British  government  were  recognized  in  the  person  of  its  calm, 
firm  representative. 


CHAP.  V. 

GIR   ARTHUR   WELLESLEY   RETURNS   TO    ENGLAND. ACCOMPANIES   THE 

EXPEDITION  TO  COPENHAGEN NAPOLEON.  —  HIS   DESIGNS  ON  SPAIN 

AND   ON   PORTUGAL. HIS   MEASURES. 

Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  returned  to  England  in  1805,  and 
was  received  with  honor  and  regard.  In  the  November  of  this 
same  year  he  sailed  for  Hanover,  in  command  of  a  brigade  in 
the  army  of  lord  Cathcart.  In  consequence  of  the  fatal  battle 
of  Austerlitz,  this  army  returned  to  England  in  the  February 
following,  without  any  opportunity  of  service.  He  was  now 
appointed  to  the  command  of  a  district  at  home  ;  and,  upon  the 
death  of  marquis  Cornwallis,  was  made  colonel  of  the  thirty- 
third  regiment,  a  corps  in  which  he  had  served  long,  and  with 
distinction.  In  1806  he  first  took  his  seat  in  the  house  of  com- 
mons, as  member  for  Newport  in  the  Isle  of  Wight.  In  the 
same  year  he  married  tlie  honorable  Catherine  Pakenham,  sis- 
ter to  the  earl  of  Longford. 

His  experience  in  Lidian  affairs  enabled  him  at  this  time  to 
expose  to  ministers  the  absurdity  of  a  project  then  contemplated, 
namely,  the  employment  of  negro  troops  in  the  East  Indies,  and 
of  sepoys  in  the  West.  The  negroes  were  to  have  been  substi- 
tuted for  British  soldiers  in  the  East,  and  the  sepoys  in  the 
West. 

This  plan,  conceived  in  utter  ignorance  or  total  misappre- 
hension of  its  impracticability, — a  plan,  if  practicable,  pregnant 
with  consequences  the  most  fatal, — was,  at  his  masterly  and 
maiily  remonstrance,  abandoned.  His  high  estimate  of  the 
British  soldier,  and  the  sentiments  of  good  faith  towards  the 
sepoy  which  breathed  throughout  this  remonstrance,  must  have 
produced  no  common  impression  of  respect  and  reverence  for 
the  integrity  of  the  writer. 

In  1807  he  was  appointed  chief  secretary  in  Ireland,  under 
the  duke  of  RicJimond ;  and,  among  other  measures,  established 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  46 

a  police  for  the  city  of  Dublin.  This  step  was  censured,  abused, 
and,  by  some,  violently  opposed ;  but  the  measure  was  happily 
carried  in  spite  of  all  resistance ;  and  experience  has  proved  its 
great  use  and  importance. 

In  the  summer  of  this  year,  Sir  Artliur  a^in  embarked  for 
foreign  service ;  and  sailed,  with  the  expedition  under  lord 
Catlicart,  to  Copenhagen. 

No  armament  ever  sailed  from  the  British  shores,  in  which  it 
was  so  painful  to  serve.  Nothing  does  more  clearly  prove  that 
England  was  fighting  for  her  political  existence,  than  her  being 
compelled  to  attack  Denmark.  With  this  power  she  was  at 
peace  up  to  the  very  moment  tliat  twenty-seven  sail  of  tlie  line, 
and  a  powerful  armament  of  troops,  appeared  before  her  capital, 
and  demanded  the  surrender  of  her  fleet.  "  You  cannot,"  said 
our  diplomatist,  "  defend  it  from  Napoleon,  who  will  employ  it 
against  our  nation :  surrender  it  to  us,  in  pledge,  until  the  con- 
clusion of  a  general  peace ;  we  will  restore  it  fiiithfully :  re- 
ject our  proposal,  and  wc  must  take  it  by  force  of  anns."  The 
spirit  which  hatl  tamely  yielded  to  such  proposals  had  been,  in 
very  deed,  unpruicely  ;  the  crown-prince  threw  down  the  gaunt- 
let Nor  was  it,  till  the  troops  of  his  unprepared  government 
had  been  beaten  in  the  field,  and,  from  amid  the  flaming  edifices 
and  blood-stained  streets  of  Copenhagen,  the  cries  of  a  suffer- 
uig  and  terrified  population  awoke  him  to  a  clear  view  of  the 
sure  issue  of  the  contest,  that  he  consented  to  a  measure  as 
humiliating  as  was  ever  yet  proposed  to  a  sovereign  or  a  pa- 
triot There  might  have  been  greater  moral  and  true  Christian 
dignity  in  the  prince,  had  he  calmly  weighed  all  circumstances, 
foreseen  the  vainness  of  resistance,  and  sacrificed  his  scruples 
and  his  pride  to  the  necessity  which  so  imperiously  dictated  our 
course,  and  might  have  excused  his  quiet  submission ;  but  with 
a  crown  on  the  head,  a  swonl  by  the  side,  and  bhxxl  in  the 
veins,  this  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  from  the  ruler  of  any 
kingdom.  The  preventive  policy  of  the  British  ministers  was 
only  to  be  justified  upon  the  ground  of  an  absolute  necessity : 
such  it  was.  The  armament  was  on  a  large  and  wise  scale ; 
and  the  operations  of  it  were  conducted  with  vigor.  In  the 
only  action  of  any  importance  which  took  place,  Sir  Arthur 
Wellosley  commanded.  The  only  body  of  Danish  troops  which 
ventured  to  contest  a  jXMition,  near  Kioge,  was  attacked  by  him, 
driven  from  it,  pursued  to  a  strong  intrenchment  in  tlieir  rear ; 
from  tiience,  again  driven  by  a-ssault  forced  into  the  town,  and 
tliere  routed  witli  very  considerable  loss.  Sir  Arthur  then 
moved  towards  Uio  centre  of  the  island,  to  quiet  and  disarm  tlje 
iohabitanta  Ho  was  not  present  at  the  terrible  and  melancholy 
bombardment  of  the  city.  He  was  sent  for,  however,  the  mo- 
ment the  enemy  showed  a  disposition  to  treat ;  and  was  appoint- 


46  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

ed,  conjointly  with  Sir  Home  Popham  and  colonel  Murray,  to 
fix  the  terms  of  the  capitulation.  In  diplomacy,  as  in  war,  Sir 
Arthur  was  ever  prompt  and  decisive:  the  terms  were  dis- 
cussed and  settled  in  one  night ;  the  ratification  was  exchanged 
in  the  morning  after;  the  objects  of  our  government  were 
unconditionally  accomplished  ;  and  the  gates  of  the  capital,  the 
citadel,  and  the  dock-yards,  were  the  same  evening  in  our  pos- 
session. 

Even  at  this  distance  of  time,  we  cannot  record  without  a 
pang,  the  bombardment  of  Copenhagen.  We  reflect,  with  no 
little  pleasure,  upon  the  fact,  that,  during  the  whole  of  the  ar- 
duous war  conducted  by  Sir  Arthur  in  the  Peninsula,  no  city 
was  ever  laid  in  ruins  by  bombardment ;  and  important  as  in 
one  particular  instance  was  the  speedy  reduction  of  the  fortress 
besieged  by  him,  he  would  not  resort  to  that  extreme  measure, 
but  preferred  all  the  inconvenience  and  anxiety  of  a  delay, 
which  greatly  interfered  both  with  tlie  plan  and  prosecution  of 
his  projected  operations.  We  are  not  supposing  that  the  bom- 
bardment of  Copenhagen  was  avoidable  by  the  lords  Cathcart 
and  Gambler :  without  it,  the  success  of  their  attempt  had  been 
doubtful ;  and  they  only  acted  in  obedience  to  the  orders  of  a 
government,  which  must  have  calmly  considered  that  painful 
step,  and  commanded  it.  Bombardments  should,  in  these  days,  by 
a  compact  among  civilized  nations,  be  for  ever  abolished.  We 
shudder  as  we  read  of  women  and  children,  old  men  and  infants, 
slain  by  the  sword ;  and  exclaim  loudly  against  the  barbarities 
of  ancient  warfare.  The  allowed  practice  of  bombardment  re- 
alizes the  same  cruelties;  for,  though  the  soldier  does  not  exactly 
see  his  victims,  and  flesh  his  sword,  yet,  as  through  the  long 
and  wakeful  night  he  serves  in  the  batteries,  which  throw  shells 
among  human  habitations,  he  knows  well  what  a  scene  of  blood 
and  lamentation  lies  beyond  the  wall,  lofty  to  hide,  but  vain  to 
protect,  the  miserable  sufferers. 

We  are  not  supposing  that  Sir  Arthur  would  have  hesitated  at 
the  execution  of  those  orders  any  more  than  lord  Cathcart,  or 
that  he  disapproved  the  measure ;  only  it  is  a  subject  of  honest 
rejoicing  to  his  biographer,  that  he  was  not  employed  in  that 
painful  operation.  At  this  period  of  his  life  it  is  necessary, 
before  passing  on  to  tlie  relation  of  his  next  service,  to  sketch 
the  position  of  that  wonderful  man,  that  implacable  enemy  of 
England,  and  of  all  liberty.  Napoleon  Buonaparte. 

"  This  child  and  champion  of  democracy"  had  long  thrown 
off  the  mask  :  never  had  ambition  a  more  stern  unyielding  vo- 
tary than  Napoleon ;  never  had  tyranny  a  more  imposing,  splen- 
did, and  dazzling  aspect  than  it  wore  in  him.  To  be  a  figure 
among  ciphers  was  his  aim  and  pride  ;  but  for  the  events,  of 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  47 

which  Spain  became  the  glorious  theatre,  he  would  liave  pro- 
duced the  decay  of  an  age,  and  the  degradation  of  a  world. 

As  the  map  of  Europe  lay  spread  before  him,  and  the  crossed 
swords  upon  Austerlitz,  Jena,  and  Friedland,  told  silently  of 
defeated  armies  and  subjugated  kingdoms,  he  turned  dissatisfied 
away;  there  was  a  "precious  isle  .set  in  tlie  silver  sea,"  which 
disfigured  that  map ;  for  it  disputed  his  title  and  defied  his  power. 
The  means  to  assail  and  to  destroy  that  kingdom  occupied  all 
his  thoughts ;  and  his  appetite  for  conquest  was  unsated  while 
England  remained  free,  and  while  her  navies  rode  on  every  sea 
triumphant. 

Buonaparte's  attempt  on  Spain  was  the  lightest  crime  and 
the  greatest  error  of  his  public  life.  A  degraded  and  distracted 
court  displayed  to  him  its  weakness,  and  invited  his  inter- 
ference :  the  throne  was  the  only  one  on  the  continent  of  Eu- 
rope on  which  a  Bourbon  was  still  seated,  and  that  Bourbon  was 
an  incapable  monarch,  and  an  imbecile  father :  a  fine  country 
thus  governed  was,  to  his  eye,  like  a  sword  resting  ingloriously 
hi  its  scabbard,  in  the  dwelling  of  a  dotard,  who  could  neither 
draw  nor  wield  it. 

With  the  population  of  Spain  in  his  armies,  and  the  ports  of 
Spain  in  his  possession  (a  vast  line  of  coast  for  the  training  and 
supply  of  mariners),  England  might  yet,  he  thouglit,  be  reached. 
His  pursuit  of  her  was  steady  and  unwearied,  and  woe  to  Eng- 
land if  she  had  found  no  foreign  field  on  which  to  meet  him. 
Woe  to  her,  if  the  arrayed  hosts  of  all  Europe,  guided  by  this 
powerful  but  evil  genms,  had  with  imdivided  strength  and 
energy  been  directed  upon  her  shores.  Of  a  truth,  deep  was 
the  ^loom  that  overspread  the  political  horizon  at.  the  peace  of 
Tilsit :  the  black  eagle  of  Prussia  drooped  in  a  fetter-lock,  the 
eagles  of  Austria  and  Russia,  with  stained  breasts  and  torn 
plumage,  had  flown  back  enfeebled  and  tamed  to  their  own 
eyries,  while  the  golden  eagle  of  France  soared  above  her  vic- 
torious legions,  high  and  alone,  like  the  fiibled  bird  of  the 
heathen  god. 

France,  Flanders,  Italy,  and  Switzerland,  obeyetl  the  call  of 
the  imperial  edict :  from  the  corn-field,  the  vineyard,  and  the 
mountain-pasture,  millions,  that  might  have  lived  and  died  in 
peace,  were  dragged  to  perish  in  the  wars  and  fightings  born  of 
those  lusts  ambition  breeds.  We  say  not,  that  all  were  dragged 
reluctantly.  France  stood  a-tiptoe,  astonished  at  her  own  ele- 
vation ;  she  exulted  in  her  chief;  ran  the  career  of  conquest 
with  delight ;  and,  but  that  he  rode  the  willing  steed  too  hard, 
would  have  pranced  proudly  under  such  a  rider  as  Napoleon  to 
this  very  hour.  It  was  not,  however,  to  be :  there  was  a  hope 
for  the  enslaved  continent  among  its  miserable  nations — a  hope 
buried  and  hidden  from  all  view  or  expectation. 


48  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

Spain  had  long  been  the  submissive  ally  of  France.  The 
word  of  Buonaparte  was  law  with  Charles  IV.  The  Spanish 
government  was  corrupt ;  tlie  whole  bcxly  politic  was  diseased 
to  the  very  core ;  the  court  was  profligate.  "  Peace  with  Eng- 
land, and  war  with  all  the  world,"  is  a  political  proverb  in 
Spain.  They  were  now  at  peace  with  France  and  the  submis- 
sive world,  and  at  war  with  England.  The  contest  of  Spain 
with  the  republic  of  France  had  terminated  in  a  disgraceful 
peace,  and  placed  a  yoke  upon  her  neck.  Hostilities  with  Eng- 
land followed  of  course  ;  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  interruption 
and  ruin  of  all  her  commercial  relations,  and  the  destruction  of 
her  navy.  The  treasure  of  her  American  possessions  under  the 
flag  of  Portugal  was  yet  suffered  to  reach  her,  and  was  largely 
drawn  upon  by  the  demands  of  her  burdensome  ally.  With 
embarrassed  finances,  and  with  a  low  public  credit,  she  lay  the 
deplorable  and  helpless  victim  of  treachery  the  most  base,  and 
incapacity  the  most  despicable.  The  moment  was  at  length 
come,  when  Buonaparte  found  leisure  to  attempt  what  he  had 
long  designed ;  what  he  might  'have  found  a  better  pretext  for 
doing  before,  and  might  have  done  in  an  open,  nay,  a  justifiable, 
maimer,  viz.  the  dethronement  of  the  Bourbons.  At  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  war  between  France  and  Prussia,  Godoy  had 
corresponded  secretly  with  the  court  of  Berlin,  and  issued  a 
proclamation  at  Madrid,  which  looked  like  the  first  step  towards 
throwing  off  the  grievous  yoke  of  a  troublesome  alliance.  The 
battle  of  Jena  supervened  and  confounded  this  effort,  which 
Napoleon  might  justifiably  have  resented. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  many,  that,  in  open  and  authorized  war 
thus  waged,  and  with  the  avowed  object  of  dethroning  the 
reigning  family,  and  taking  the  land  into  possession,  Spain,  as  a 
nation,  would  not  have  offered  any  strong  resistance,  but  would 
have  received  the  conqueror  and  hailed  liim  as  king.  Not  so : 
the  Spaniards  are  a  people  attached  with  an  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious reverence  to  accustomed  names  and  sounds.  They 
would  bear  much  before  they  would  dethrone  a  native  prince ; 
more  before  they  would  resist  the  will  of  the  cliurch;  and 
would  undergo  any  thing  rather  than  receive  a  foreigner  to  be 
their  king.  Oppressed  by  their  government  they  might  be ; 
roused  to  turn  upon  the  ministers  with  violence,  and  even  a 
momentary  ferocity :  but  interfere  between  Spaniard  and  Span- 
iard, and,  like  man  and  wife,  they  drop  their  feud,  and  unite  to 
drive  away  all  interposers  in  their  quarrel. 

Napoleon  evidently  thought  that  there  would  be  a  general 
and  united  resistance  if  he  went  openly  to  war,  either  by  a 
direct  attack  upon  the  whole  royal  family,  or  by  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  unnatural  quarrel  between  father  and  son,  and  sup- 
porting one  against  the  otlier  in  open  and  active  hostility.    The 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  49 

whole  of  the  intrig^ue  by  which  he  sought  to  gain  his  end  was 
mean,  and  beneath  the  character  of  that  brave  ambition  of  which 
lowliness  had  not  been  hitherto  the  ladder.  In  virtue  of  his 
alliance  with  Spain,  he  a.sked  a  contingent  of  troops  to  aid  him 
in  the  North,  and  having  thus  withdrawn  the  flower  of  the 
Spanish  army  under  Romana,  sent  tiie  greater  part  to  Denmark. 
His  next  measure  was  the  secret  treaty  with  Charles  IV,  for 
partitioning  Portugal :  one  third  was  to  form  a  princedom  for 
Godoy ;  a  third  for  the  queen  of  Etruria ;  Lisbon  and  the  lion's 
portion  for  himself. 

While  planning  this  treachery,  he  was  negotiating  with  the 
weak  prince  of  Brazil  for  a  renunciation  of  the  British  alliance, 
the  seizure  of  British  property,  the  imprisonment  of  British 
residents,  and  the  adoption  of  the  continental  system. 

Meanwhile,  the  treaty  for  dividing  this  little  kingdom  was 
ratified  at  Fontainbleau,  on  the  29th  of  October,  1807.  Portugal 
was  to  be  immediately  invaded  and  taken  possesion  of  by  the 
united  armies  of  France  and  Spain.  28,000  French  soldiers, 
and  27,000  Spaniards,  were  assigned  for  tliis  service ;  while 
40,000  French  troops  were  to  be  assembled  at  Bayonne,  as  a  re- 
serve, in  case  any  expedition  from  England,  or  any  rising  of  the 
people  of  Portugal,  should  make  it  necessary  to  support  the  in- 
vasion with  reinforcements. 

Junot,  to  whom  the  operation  was  intrusted,  immediately 
traversed  Spain  :  everywhere  the  inhabitants  saw  him  pass  with 
sullen  and  unfriendly  eyes.  There  was  a  vast  number  of  con- 
scripts in  his  corps ;  and  Junot  would  have  gladly  made  a  halt 
at  Salamanca  to  organize  his  army.  By  an  ortler  from  Paris, 
he  was  directed  to  go  forward  instantly,  and  march  rapidly  to 
his  destination. 

He  crossed  the  brown  and  barren  hills  of  Beira,  the  latter 
end  of  November,  and  did  not  find  one  pass  occupied,  nor  the 
slightest  preparation  to  oppose  him.  The  Spanish  contingent 
joined  him  on  the  frontier  of  Portugal :  his  march  to  Lisbon 
was  rapid,  in  tjie  hope  that  he  might  secure  as  captives  that 
house  of  Braganza,  which,  by  the  dictum  of  the  gentle  "  child 
and  champion  of  democracy,    had  "  ceased  to  reign." 

The  British  factories  were  expelled  ;  the  British  minister  dis- 
missed ;  British  property  confiscated ;  and  the  ports  were  closed 
against  the  British  flag,  as  soon  as  the  march  of  Junot  was 
known.  Upon  these  submissions  of  a  weak  and  terrified  prince, 
the  English  admiral  and  ambassador  looked  on  witli  regret  and 
contempt ;  but,  aware  of  the  great  importance  attached  to  the 
withdrawing  of  the  royal  family,  they  continued  to  urge  their 
embarkation  to  tiie  very  last  moment. 

Irresolute  and  timid,  the  prince  lingered  on  till  the  French 
were  witliui  a  few  hours'  march  of  Lubon,  and  then,  frightened 

Vol.  f.  E 


50  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

at  reading  in  the  Moniteur,  "  that  the  house  of  Braganza  had 
ceased  to  reign,"  he  sent  to  Sir  Sidney  Smith  and  lord  Strang- 
ford,  the  English  admiral  and  ambassador,  and  accepted  the  pro- 
tection of  the  flag  against  which  he  had  just  closed  his  port. 
He  embarked  on  the  27th  of  November,  and  sailed  on  the  29th : 
in  a  few  hours  after,  the  bold  Junot,  with  a  weak  column  of 
exhausted  grenadiers,  was  at  the  gates  of  his  capital.  The 
people  were,  by  these  measures,  delivered  up  bound  and  de- 
fenceless by  a  prince,  who,  having  first  had  the  meanness  to 
submit  without  any  show  of  resistance,  now  fled  from  the  con- 
sequences of  that  very  invasion  which  he  had  tamely  suffered. 

Taken  as  it  were  by  surprise,  and  disgusted  with  the  conduct 
of  their  prince,  they  remamed  apparently  still  and  indifferent  to 
their  fate. 

There  was  a  slight  tumult  in  Lisbon  when  Junot  took  down 
the  arms  of  Portugal,  and  put  up  those  of  the  emperor,  but  it 
was  immediately  quelled.  The  French  general  was  peacefully 
busied  in  the  labors  of  his  command,  and  preparing  himself  for 
any  attack  or  descent  from  England. 

Of  the  population,  a  few  of  the  upper  class  were  fraternizing 
with  their  new  masters ;  but  the  many  were  paying  their  con- 
tributions with  smothered  curses,  and  holding  their  breath  till 
the  day  of  loud  and  free  utterance  might  return.  His  eagles 
planted  upon  the  towers  of  Lisbon  without  resistance,  and  Junot 
neither  wanting  nor  asking  succor.  Napoleon  had  but  a  slender 
pretext  to  move  forward  his  army  of  reserve.  They  were,  how- 
ever, already  advancing  into  the  very  heart  of  Spain  in  two 
formidable  bodies  under  Dupont  and  Moncey ;  while  a  corps  of 
12,000  men  under  Duhesme  had  penetrated  through  the  eastern 
Pyrenees,  and  obtained  possession  of  Barcelona  and  other  strong 
places,  by  artifices  of  a  nature  so  treacherous,  that  war  in  its 
dignity  disdains  their  practice ;  and  officers  and  troops  are  alike 
dishonored  and  insulted  by  such  employment.  The  fortresses 
of  the  north,  and  the  main  roads  from  France  to  Madrid,  were 
occupied  by  French  troops. 

The  royal  family  of  Spain,  during  these  dangerous  and  insult- 
ing movements,  were  occupied  in  a  manner  that  nothing  but  the 
crowded  and  concurring  testimonies  of  the  writers  of  all  sides 
and  parties  can  induce  the  reader  to  believe  possible.  Ferdi- 
nand, the  prince  of  Asturias,  was  soliciting  the  honor  of  a  matri- 
monial alliance  with  the  house  of  Napoleon,  and  asking  aid 
against  his  father.  Cliarles  and  Godoy  were  inviting  his  help 
against  the  treason  of  Ferdinand.  The  emperor  was  silent  to 
both :  his  troops  were  quietly  and  steadily  gaining  ground. 

The  court  of  Spain  was,  at  this  period,  at  Aranjuez ;  and,  a 
sudden  fear  possessing  them,  they  resolved  on  flying  to  America, 
and  prepared  immediately  to  retire  upon  Seville.     On  learning 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  51 

these  intentions,  the  party  of  Ferdinand  broke  out  with  violence, 
and  the  populace  of  Aranjuez,  roused  by  their  example,  sur- 
rounded the  palace,  and  demanded,  in  tumultuous  and  angry 
tones,  that  the  royal  family  should  not  move ;  nor  were  they 
pacified,  till  a  distinct  assurance  was  given,  that  the  court  would 
not  depart  from  Aranjuez.  The  day  following,  there  was  a  riot 
in  Madrid,  and  the  house  of  Godoy  was  broken  into  and  plun- 
dered. On  the  next,  he  was  himself  assaulted  at  Aranjuez ;  his 
life  saved  with  difficulty  by  the  timely  protection  of  the  royal 
guards ;  and  he  was  placed  in  arrest. 

Charles  IV.,  terrified  by  these  scenes  of  violence,  and  alarmed 
by  the  accounts  from  Madrid,  abdicated  the  throne.  On  the  20th, 
Ferdinand  was  proclaimed  king  at  Madrid,  amid  the  shouts  and 
rejoicings  of  a  vast  and  excited  multitude. 

Murat,  the  grand-duke  of  Berg,  who  at  this  moment  was 
commander-in-chief  of  all  the  French  forces  in  Spain,  had  his 
head-quarters  at  Aranda  de  Duero,  and  hearing  of  these  things 
marched  without  loss  of  time  upon  Madrid.  He  disposed  30,000 
men  in  a  position  surrounding  it,  and  entered  it  in  person  at  the 
head  of  10,000  on  the  23d  of  March.  He  here  received  a  mes- 
senger from  Charles  IV.,  stating  that  his  abdication  was  not  of 
free  will,  therefore  invalid.  Wlien  Ferdinand  entered  Madrid 
on  the  24th,  Murat  refused  to  recognize  him  as  king.  Ferdi- 
nand presented  the  French  general  with  the  swonl  of  Francis  I., 
a  proud  trophy  of  other  days.  The  grand-duke  of  Berg  accepted 
this  gift,  sullied  alike  by  the  hand  which  under  such  circum- 
stances gave  and  that  which  received  it,  but  still  declined  the 
act  of  recognition :  a  matter  of  such  moment  required,  he  said, 
the  fiat  of  his  master  the  emperor. 

Napoleon,  vexed  at  the  hasty  atlvance  of  Murat,  and  tlie  un- 
necessary occupation  of  Madrid  before  his  plans  were  ripe,  sent 
Savary,  on  whose  address  he  could  depend,  to  rectify  the  error, 
Savary  found  Ferdinand  in  all  tlie  perplexity  of  a  man  proclaimed 
and  hailed  a  king  by  the  popular  voice,  but  pronounced  a  rebel 
and  usurper  by  his  father,  and  surrounded  by  40,000  soldiers  in 
the  service  of  that  ally,  upon  whose  recognition  he  deemed  all 
the  security  of  his  title  to  depend, — a  recognition  as  yet  with- 
held. 

The  artful  agent  of  a  faithless  master  pointed  out  to  Ferdi- 
nand that  a  journey  to  Burgos  to  meet  Napoleon  would  concili- 
ate his  immediate  fevor,  and  counteract  all  the  plots  of  his  father 
and  Godoy. 

The  weak  prince  set  forth  on  his  foolish  and  fatal  journey 
witli  the  subtle  Savary  for  his  companion.  The  emperor  was 
not  at  Burgos,  nor  at  Vittoria,  whither  lie  \vns  persuaded  to  pro- 
ceed. The  distance  to  Bayonne  was  short,  it  was  but  just  within 


52  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

the  confines  of  France ;  and  Savary  suggested  that  the  confi- 
dence thus  reposed  in  his  master  would  flatter  and  delight  him. 
The  populace  of  Vittoria,  in  fear  for  their  prince,  clamored 
against  his  departure.  They  were  in  such  earnest  as  to  cut  the 
traces  of  his  carriage ;  but  blinded  by  fear,  or  by  a  hope  born 
of  folly,  he  insisted  on  proceeding.  He  reached  Bayonne,  dined 
at  the  table  of  Napoleon,  and  was  visited  the  same  evening  by 
the  companion  of  his  journey,  who,  with  a  countenance  changed 
in  its  expression,  but  with  a  forehead  unabashed,  informed  him 
tlaat  he  was  a  prisoner,  and  that  the  Bourbon  dynasty  would 
rule  in  Spain  no  longer.  By  an  arrangement,  wliich  required 
so  little  finesse  that  Murat  effected  it,  Charles,  the  queen,  and 
Godoy,  took  the  same  journey,  and  shared  the  same  fate  of  de- 
gradation in  a  lighter  form ;  if,  indeed,  there  were  not  more 
dignity  in  being  a  guarded  captive,  which  was  the  case  with 
the  prince  of  Asturias.  Charles  accepted  a  safe  retreat  in  soft 
and  luxurious  Italy,  with  a  pension.  Godoy  was  also  pensioned 
and  dismissed,  to  share  the  exile  of  the  profligate  queen,  and 
her  cajoled  and  contemptible  husband.  Napoleon  was,  to  all 
appearance,  master  of  Spain.  His  troops  garrisoned  all  those 
fortresses  on  the  frontier  which  are  the  strong-holds  and  keys 
of  the  kingdom.  From  the  citadels  of  St.  Sebastian,  of  Pam- 
peluna,  and  of  Figueras,  from  the  forts  of  Monjuic,  and  the 
walls  of  Barcelona,  French  sentinels  looked  down  upon  the 
still  and  astonished  people.  The  splendid  cavalry  of  the  impe- 
rial guard,  which  had  accompanied  the  grand-duke  of  Berg  to 
Madrid,  paraded  its  streets,  confident  in  their  strength  and  secu- 
rity ;  the  dangers,  of  which  both  Talleyrand  and  Fouche  had 
warned  the  emperor,  seemed  already  past :  war  had  not  broken 
out,  and  yet  all  which  he  desired  was  accomplished.  The 
Spanisli  Bourbons  had  signed  away  their  birthright ;  Spain  was 
his;  and  the  contempt  with  which  the  court  had  inspired  him  wels 
transferred  to  the  nation. 


CHAP.  VI. 

THE  RISING  OF  THE  SPANISH    PEOPLE.  —  SCENES  AT  MADRID  AND  IN  THE 
PROVINCES. 

There  was  a  moral  dignity  in  the  Spanish  people,  of  which 
Napoleon  appears  to  have  been  incredulous.  The  two  most  pow- 
erful principles  of  human  feeling  lived  warm  in  their  hearts, — 
they  were  patriotic  and  religious :  their  patriotism  was  not  a 
vanity ;  neither  was  their  religion  a  name.  They  loved  their 
country,  and  all  that  nature  and  habit  had  connected  with  it  ;— 
their  mountains;  their  rivers;  their  language;  their  music; 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  53 

and  those  fragments  of  their  old  canqionero,  which  in  every 
village  some  were  yet  found  to  sing,  and  many  to  listen  to. 
Again, — they  loved  their  faith.  The  Spanish  Christians,  for 
500  years,  had  struggled  for  it  against  the  Moors;  and  the 
memory  of  that  struggle  is  not  yet  dead.  The  rigid  orthodo:re 
of  the  Spanish  people  has  been  quite  independent  of  the  inqui- 
sition and  its  fires :  their  fear  of  God ;  their  reverence  for  his 
altars  ;  their  deep  and  warm  devotion,  laid  them  prostrate  at  the 
feet  of  a  crafty  priesthood ;  and  a  haughty  hierarchy,  leagued 
with  a  heartless  sovereign,  weighed  them  down. 

But  the  virtue  of  the  Spaniards  had  been  outraged  and  in- 
sulted by  the  conduct  of  a  wicked  court,  their  loyalty  abused 
by  enonnous  and  criminal  imposts,  and  their  pride  wounded  by 
an  alliance  with  the  French,  to  whom  tlie  most  disgraceful  con- 
cessions had  been  made ;  by  whom  daily  and  increasing  sacri- 
fices were  demanded,  and  who  were  at  all  times  hateful  to  the 
Spaniards.  They  had  been  murmuring  over  their  abject  condi- 
tion for  many  months.  The  surface  of  society  was  agitated, 
and  heaving  witli  liidden  but  fierce  fires,  which  threaten^  some 
speedy  and  violent  eruption.  Their  reverence  for  royalty  in  the 
person  of  Charles  could  not  keep  them  in  observance  of  a  like 
respect  for  his  mcapable  and  guilty  minister,  Grodoy.  They 
lothed  the  man,  liis  faction,  and  his  measures,  and  were  re- 
solved to  get  rid  of  them.  Popular  commotion  broke  out  at  last 
in  many  parts  of  the  kingdom.  When  it  was  found  that  Charles 
was  determined  upon  going  all  lengths  with  his  adviser,  the 
people  rose  in  fierce  tumult,  menaced  the  minister's  life,  wel- 
comed the  abdication  of  tlie  terrified  and  weak  father,  and  hailed 
the  elevation  of  the  unknown  and  foolish  son.  The  abdication 
of  Charles  and  the  fall  of  Godoy  appeased  them  for  the  moment 
They  saw  in  the  elevation  of  Ferdinand  to  the  throne  a  remedy 
for  every  grievance. 

When  the  public  mind  was  in  a  tumult  of  joy  at  the  acces- 
sion of  Ferdinand,  whom  an  indignant  nation  had  summoned  to 
the  throne,  Murat  entered  Madrid  with  a  French  army.  He 
would  not,  of  course  he  could  not,  recognize  the  king  who  had 
been  chosen.  The  people,  as  they  stood  cliilled  in  tlieir  hopes, 
and  suspicious  for  the  future,  anxiously  asked  what  did  he  there 
at  all  ]  Tliis  they  asked  each  other  in  those  squares  and  streets 
where  their  pride  was  wounded,  and  tlicir  jealousy  awakened 
by  the  irritating  presence  of  the  brilliant  and  haughty  soldiery 
of  France.  Of  a  sudden  they  heard  of  the  departure  of  Fer- 
dinand for  Riyonne,  a  journey  imdcrtaken  before  tliey  had  time 
to  prevent  it :  then  they  heard  of  the  flight  of  Charles,  and  the 
escape  of  (Jfxloy;  next  they  saw  Murat  appointetl  member  of 
the  governing  junto,  and  they  found  French  troops  on  all  sides 
advancing.  Muleteers  from  the  north  had  brought  intelligence 
E  2 


54  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

that  their  frontier  fortresses  had  been  treacherously  seized. 
The  peasants  that  came  into  market  lingered  to  warm  their 
hate  of  the  foreigner  before  they  returned  to  their  expecting 
children;  and  the  women,  who  kneel  in  long  crowds  by  the 
banks  of  the  Manzanares,  invoked  the  Virgin  and  St.  Isidro ; 
and  as  they  thought  on  those  dear  to  them,  they  paused  and 
sighed  in  their  labors :  not  a  sound  was  there  of  the  customary 
laughing  and  loud  merriment. 

As  early  as  the  23d  of  April,  there  was  a  serious  riot  at  To- 
ledo ;  but  by  the  timely  advance  of  Dupont's  division,  tlie  city, 
which  is  not  a  large  one,  was  restored  to  order ;  and  the  peas- 
ants who  had  flocked  into  it  to  assist  in  the  commotion  were 
dispersed. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  May  a  crowd  was  gathered  m 
front  of  the  royal  palace  at  Madrid  round  an  old-fashioned 
Spanish  carriage,  which,  it  was  rumored,  was  to  convey  don 
Antonio,  the  last  Spanish  prince  remaining  still  in  Madrid,  to 
Bayonne.  Some  discontent  might  have  been  perceived,  and 
some  angry  ebullition  of  popular  feeling  might  have  been  looked 
for  ;  but  few  could  have  foreseen  that  whirlwind  of  vengeance 
which  was  then  nigh.  Mighty  and  momentous  consequences 
for  the  hopes  and  happuiess  of  all  Europe  hung  upon  the  move- 
ments of  that  swart  and  surly  crowd. 

The  report  of  the  destination  of  the  carriage  was  unfounded 
in  fact ;  but  as  it  was  uttered  so  it  was  received ;  and  the  mob 
manifested  their  indignation  by  cutting  the  traces  and  forcing  it 
back  into  the  yard,  with  furious  curses  upon  the  French.  Colo- 
nel la  Grange,  an  aide-de-camp  of  Murat's,  came  to  learn  the 
cause  of  the  disturbance.  They  immediately  assailed  him  with 
abuse  and  menace ;  and  he  was  saved  only  by  the  intervention 
of  Spanish  officers  and  authorities.  The  colonel  went  away, 
and  returned  witli  a  party  of  soldiers :  the  mob  fell  upon  tliem 
instantly ;  and  the  war  of  Spain  may  date  its  commencement 
from  that  hour. 

In  every  quarter  of  the  city  the  people  rushed  upon  the  as- 
tonished soldiery,  of  whom  many  were  walking  about  the  streets 
in  pleased  and  idle  wonder  at  the  novelties  this  capital  presented ; 
some  indeed  without  their  arms. 

But  when  human  passion  has  once  the  mastery,  its  actings, 
though  brave,  are,  especially  in  revenge,  ferocious  and  pitiless. 
They  slew  the  soldiers  with  whatever  weapons  or  means  of 
destruction  came  first  to  hand.  Gun,  pistol,  sword,  dagger, 
clasp-knife,  and  stones,  were  all  used  in  this  sudden  onset 
From  the  windows  and  roofs  of  houses  shots  were  fired,  and 
weighty  missiles  hurled  down  upon  the  aghast  and  bewildered 
Frenchmen.  This  was  not  a  plotted  assault  on  the  part  of  the 
people.     It  was  the  sudden  burst  of  indignation  no  longer  to  be 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  55 

repressed.  Neither  was  there,  on  the  part  of  the  Spaniards, 
any  ignorance  of  the  immediate  and  certain  consequences: 
these  might  not  have  been  thought  of  at  the  moment ;  but,  as 
soon  as  tiiey  were,  they  were  contemplated  fearlessly  and  con- 
temptuously. 

In  the  same  spirit  war  was  waged  by  Spaniards  to  the  very 
last :  all  the  details  of  their  defeats  and  disasters,  their  panic 
and  runnings,  are  known,  and  have  been  visited  with  a  full 
perhaps  a  useful,  exposure  ;  but  the  fact  of  a  valiant,  constant 
resistance  to  the  legions  of  France,  on  the  part  of  the  Spanish 
people,  for  five  years,  stands  out  from  the  page  of  history  in 
bold  and  glorious  relief;  and  here  it  began.  This  was  tlie  de- 
claration of  war  by  Spain  against  Napoleon ;  and  it  was  written 
and  sealed  in  blood. 

Among  tlie  many  incidents  of  this  memorable  day  was  an  at- 
tack upon  tlie  French  hospital,  of  which  Southey,  jealous  for 
the  honor  of  the  Spaniard,  and  chivalric  in  his  own  generous 
conceptions  of  the  scene,  speaks  with  natural  horror  and  indig- 
nation ;  but  a  military  man  knows  that  the  attendants,  orderlies, 
and  convalescents  of  a  military  hospital,  are  capable  not  only  of 
defence  but  of  active  hostility.  The  military  historian  Napier 
accordingly  relates  it  without  any  such  feeling  against  the 
Spaniards.  The  Spanish  troops  in  Madrid  remained  sliut  up  in 
their  barracks,  and  under  tlie  close  control  of  their  officers 
throughout  the  whole  of  this  strange  contest  No  Spanish 
soldiers  took  any  part  in  the  struggle,  except  two  officers  of  ar- 
tillery, on  duty  at  the  arsenal,  named  Daoiz  and  Velarde,  and 
a  detachment  of  invalids  under  their  orders.  These  officers 
hearing  the  sounds  of  the  combat,  and  being  told  tliat  a  French 
column  was  advancing  in  tiie  direction  of  their  jxist,  brought 
out  guns  to  defend  the  approaches  to  tlie  arsenal,  and  loaded 
them  with  grape ;  being  resolved  to  resist  any  assault  of  the 
arsenal  by  force.  As  soon  as  the  enemy  came  in  sight  tliey 
opened  upon  them  with  these  guns,  and  continued  to  fight  them 
till  they  fell.  Velarde  was  shot  dead  by  a  musket-ball.  Daoiz 
was  wounded  in  the  thigh ;  but  he  sat  up  on  the  ground,  and 
continued  to  give  orders  until,  under  three  more  wounds,  he  ex- 
pired. Velarde  was  a  fine  young  man  of  five-and-twenty. 
Daoiz  was  a  man  of  thirty. 

It  has  been  said,  that,  as  military  men,  they  were  not  justified 
ui  acting  as  they  did,  without  express  orders.  We  think  other- 
wise. They  haid  charge  of  tlie  arsenal :  they  already  knew  the 
fate  of  the  Spanish  fiirtresses  in  the  north ;  and  tlie  moment 
was  come  wlien  they  had  a  right,  as  Spaniards^  to  choose  their 
course  of  action.  They  well  knew  that  an  unarmed  mob,  even 
had  they  been  assisted  bv  the  few  Spanish  regiments  in  garri- 
son, could  not  long  and  cfTectually  resist  the  bayonets  and 


56  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

sabres  of  25,000  choice  troops ;  but  they  cast  in  their  lot  with 
the  people ;  they  saw  the  consequences ;  for  Spain  they  were 
willing  to  fall,  and  with  a  devotion  alike  hopeless  and  heroic 
they  did  fall.  It  has  been  said  by  an  eye-witness  that  they  were 
under  excitement  from  the  wine  they  had  just  drunk  at  a 
dejeiine  a  fourchette.  It  is  customary  to  drink  wine  at  that 
meal  on  the  continent ;  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  quan- 
tity usually  taken  at  that  hour,  falling  u|X)n  hearts  full  of  their 
country's  wrongs,  may  have  given  to  their  manner  a  passionate 
and  (to  the  eye  of  a  calm  observer)  an  extravagant  warmth ; 
but  we  believe  they  acted  from  a  principle  of  pure  patriotism, 
and  that  they  seized  the  offered  opportunity  to  act  bravely,  what 
they  thought  nobly.  The  column  spoken  of  alwve  soon  gained 
possession  of  the  arsenal,  passing  over  the  bodies  of  Daoiz  and 
Velarde.  The  French  cavalry,  pouring  into  the  city,  charged 
through  the  streets,  slew  numbers,  and  made  many  prisoners. 
After  nightfall  the  peasantry  of  the  neighborhood  came  armed, 
and  in  crowds,  to  the  city  gates :  they  were  repulsed  with  great 
loss  by  the  French  guards ;  and  in  the  morning  again  they  were 
charged,  trampled  down,  and  dispersed  by  the  enemy's  cavalry. 
Of  the  prisoners  taken  in  Madrid,  alx)ut  100  were  tried  by  a 
French  military  commission,  and  shot  in  the  Prado.*  The  stain 
of  this  cold  and  criminal  execution  attaches  not,  according  to 
Bome  authorities,  to  Murat,  but  to  Grouchy,  and  to  a  colonel  of 
the  imperial  guard.  Murat,  who  had  ordered  their  trial,  and 
confirmed  their  sentence,  forbade  the  execution  of  it,  at  the 
prayer  of  the  municipality.  His  earnestness  to  save  their  lives 
was  not  exhibited  by  any  extraordinary  efTbrt  in  person.  The 
loss  of  lives  in  this  rising  of  the  people  was  not  very  great:  the 
casualties  of  the  French  amounted  to  about  700 ;  those  of  the 
Spaniards  are  estimated  at  200 ;  but  accounts  so  contradictor}', 
so  exaggerated,  and  so  interested,  were  published  by  both  parties, 
that  the  best  and  calmest  estimates  may  be  far  from  correct : 
though  it  is  certain  that  the  rising  was  not  premeditated,  yet 
was  it  something  more  than  accidental.  The  public  mind  was 
charged  with  matter  fiercely  combustible :  it  is  of  little  moment 
to  inquire  when  or  from  whence  the  igniting  spark  fell. 

Murat  had  been  forewarned  of  the  temper  of  the  people.  He 
took  no  precautions.  He  was  a  man  of  lofty,  contemptuous 
courage ;  respecting  no  enemies  who  were  not  in  uniform,  and 
good  soldiers  to  boot ;  and  as  he  looked  around  upon  the  troops 
whom  he  had  so  often  led  to  victory,  he  regarded  the  idea  of 
any  rising  upon  them  by  the  mob  of  a  third-rate  capital  as  an 
event  of  impossible  occurrence ;  when,  therefore,  the  burst 
actually  came,  all  was  confusion.    French  soldiers,  as  they 


♦  A  public  walk  and  place  of  pleasant  recreation  for  the  citizens  of  Madrid. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  57 

stood  or  walked  unarmed,  were  mobbed  and  massacred,  and  ran 
about  wild,  helpless  of  defence,  and  hopeless  of  resistance. 
Many  fell  beneath  the  knives  of  their  pursuers,  before  the 
troops  in  or  near  the  city  received  any  orders.  Murat  caused 
them  to  beat  "  the  general,"  and  put  himself  at  the  head  of  as 
many  men  as  he  could  collect  in  the  square  of  the  palace. 
With  these,  and  with  two  pieces  of  artillery  loaded  with  grape, 
he  stood  on  the  defensive,  firing  upon  the  people,  until,  at  last, 
from  the  north  and  south  gates,  columns  poured  into  the  town. 
The  cavalry  of  the  imperial  guard  galloped  up  the  streets  Al- 
cala  and  San  Geronimo,  which  debouched  upon  the  Puerta  del 
Sol,  and  there  established  themselves  upon  the  open  space, 
while  a  strong  column  of  1500  men  filled  the  street  of  San 
Bernardo,  near  the  arsenal.  The  effusion  of  blood  in  many 
parts  of  the  city  continued  till  the  Spanish  authorities,  and 
French  generals,  rode  through  the  streets  together  waving 
white  handkerchiefs,  and  inviting  the  people  to  submission  and 
peace.  The  first  fruit  of  tranquillity  was  the  military  tribunal, 
and  the  second  an  order  of  the  day,  directing  that  all  groups  of 
Spaniards  seen  in  the  streets,  exceeding  eight  in  number,  should 
be  fired  upon ;  that  every  village  in  which  a  French  soldier  was 
slain  should  be  burned;  and  that  all  authors,  publishers,  and 
distributers  of  papers,  or  proclamations,  inciting  to  revolt,  should 
be  led  out  and  shot  forthwith.  He  also  went  instantly  to  the 
junta  of  government,  tlien  sitting,  and  took  on  him  the  office  of 
president.  Murat  is  in  his  grave.  He  lived  to  wear  a  crown : 
he  survived  a  hundred  battles  and  combats,  in  which  he  bravely 
led  tlie  imperial  cavalry  of  France ;  but  he  lived  on  only  to  fiUl 
at  last  by  the  muskets  of  a  small  guard  of  executioners  in  the 
mean  hall  of  a  petty  town  in  Calabria. 

At  the  news  from  Madrid  all  Spain  arose  and  rushed  to  arms. 
The  insults  and  injuries  heaped  on  her  by  France  had  maddened 
her,  and  she  was  drunk  with  the  spirit  of  revenge.  The  Span- 
iards are  not  a  dark  and  designing  people :  they  are  frank  and 
open,  sudden  and  rash ;  in  the  moment  of  suspicion,  jealous  and 
credulous ;  in  the  act  of  vengeance,  fiery  and  cruel. 

It  is  not  a  matter  of  wonder,  though  certainly  a  subject  of 
reproach,  that,  in  many  places  of  Spain,  they  disgraced  the 
cause  of  patriotism,  by  the  unreasonable  tests  they  demanded 
of  sincerity,  by  their  reatly  credulity  at  the  fatal  cry  ^^Traidor  T* 
and  by  t!ie  summary  punishments  and  instant  massacres  that 
followed.  The  thing  is  not  new : — so  much  is  it  in  the  natural, 
though  melancholy,  course  of  events,  in  times  of  political  trou- 
ble and  confusion,  that  all  nations  would  exhibit  bursts  of  fury 
and  of  crime,  not  very  dissimilar,  under  like  circumstances. 
The  Spaniards,  being  natives  of  a  southern  climate,  arc  quick, 
impassioned,  imaginative,  easily  excited,  and  as  suddenly  de- 


58  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

pressed  by  melancholy,  and  repentant  of  excess.  Their  national 
character  is  directly  contrasted  to  the  gay,  cold,  witty,  prosaic 
Frenchmen.  They  are  "good  haters,"*  and  firm  friends;  they 
cannot  smile  even  with  complacency  on  those  whom  they  dis- 
like ;  with  them  the  mean  of  frigid  indifference  is  unknown : 
if  truly  attached,  they  exhibit  all  tlie  extravagance  of  fond 
admiration,  and,  alas !  where  they  act  their  hate,  they  become 
barbarous  and  bloody. 

At  Cadiz,  Seville,  Carthagena,  and  in  many  other  cities,  the 
French  and  all  Spaniards  supposed  partisans  of  Godoy  and  of 
Napoleon  were  put  to  death  by  the  excited  populace:  many 
liberal-minded,  innocent  men  thus  perished.  It  was  a  moment 
when  reason  was  asleep,  and  diseased  suspicions  were  awake ; 
when  a  beaten  and  vindictive  groom,  or  a  ridiculed  and  scorned 
monk,  was  master  of  the  noblest  life,  and  could  hunt  an  enemy 
to  death  by  the  simple  word  "  traidor."  Thus  fell  Solano  at 
Cadiz,  and  Conde  d'Aguilar  at  Seville.  In  Valencia,  one  Bal- 
thazar Calvo,  an  ecclesiastic  and  a  canon,  at  the  head  of  a  fanatic 
mob,  began  and  continued  the  bloody  work  of  deliberate  mas- 
sacre for  twelve  days.  A  hundred  victims  bled  beneath  the 
knives  of  the  assassins  in  his  train :  many  families  were  made 
fatherless ;  but  tlie  cup  of  fiiry  was  presented  to  his  own  lips  in 
turn :  the  wretcli  himself,  with  two  hundred  of  his  followers, 
were  imprisoned,  and  strangled,  by  the  miserable  and  disabused 
people.  Filanghieri,  the  governor  of  Corunna,  an  Italian  by 
birth,  was  put  to  death,  under  circumstances  of  cruelty  horrible 
in  the  extreme,  by  the  very  troops  he  commanded.  When  Na- 
poleon received  the  news  from  Madrid  he  was  alarmed,  and 
vexed. — "Murat  va  mal  et  irop  vite"  was  his  exclamation. 
But  when  he  considered  that  he  had  80,000  men  in  Spain, 
exclusive  of  the  corps  of  Junot  in  Portugal ;  that  all  the  frontier 
fortresses  were  in  his  possession ;  his  main  force  occupying  a 
position  in  the  very  heart  of  the  country ;  the  communication 
with  France  secure ;  that  Spain  was  not  only  without  a  govern- 
ment, but  without  one  single  great  or  loiown  character ;  that, 
of  an  army  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand,  fifteen  thou- 
sand of  the  best  were  in  Holstein  with  Romana,  twenty  thou- 
sand in  Portugal,  thirty  thousand  merely  nominal,  being  a  local 
militia  never  called  out;  and  that  the  remainder,  witli  the 
exception  of  eleven  thousand  Swiss  and  Walloons,  mercenaries, 
were  without  oflficers,  system,  interior  economy,  or  discipline ; 
that  Spain,  in  fact,  had  not  only  no  army,  but  not  even  the 
frame- work  of  one  to  begin  upon;  he  cast  away  all  doubts  as 
to  his  success,  and  pursued  his  combinations  as  calmly  as  if  they 

*  Dr.  Johnson  was  wont  to  say  he  liked  a  good  hater ;  and  though  it  sounds 
not  very  Christian,  we  can  understand  the  expression. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WEUJNGTON.  59 

had  never  been,  even  for  a  moment,  disturbed.  It  has  been  said, 
that  the  French  anny  had  some  points  of  weakness  in  its  com- 
position. Its  conscripts  were  of  different  nations, — Germans, 
Swiss,  Italians,  and  Poles.  A  great  portion  of  the  born  French 
were  from  the  last  conscription,  a  raw  levy  of  young  men ;  but 
the  first  elements  of  drill  are  .soon  completed,  and  in  no  troopa 
so  soon  as  in  the  French.  Their  infantry  regiments  were  formed 
upon  excellent  skeletons ;  good  non-commissioned  officers  were 
present  to  instruct  them ;  good  officers  to  command  them,  and 
always  a  sprinkling  of  old  soldiers  to  lead  them  into  fire  under 
the  same  eagles  beneath  which  thoy  had  themselves  earned 
their  cheverons  of  service,  and  won  tlieir  decorations.  So  that, 
with  respect  to  the  last  point  of  weakness,  viz.  the  youth  and 
inexperience  of  many  of  the  French  soldiers,  the  difference 
between  them  and  Ihe  Spanish  levies  was  enormous.  With 
regard  to  the  first  imputed  defect,  viz.  that  men  of  different 
nations  served  in  the  French  ranks,  little  importance  can  be  at- 
tached to  it.  Napoleon's  was  a  good  service  for  a  mercenary ; 
and  the  foreign  conscripts  soon  became  reconciled  to  it.  As  to 
the  cause  for  which  they  fought,  they  neither  knew  nor  cared 
any  thing  about  it  "  very  few,"  observes  Sir  Walter  Raleigh, 
in  his  discourse  of  war  in  general,  "  of  the  infinite  number 
thus  untimely  slain,  were  ever  masters  of  the  grounds  of  the 
dispute  for  which  tiiey  suffered,  or  the  true  reason  of  their  being 
led  to  battle." — "  What  deluded  wretches,"  tiicn  he  adds,  "  have 
a  great  part  of  mankind  been,  who  have  either  yielded  them- 
selves to  be  slain  in  causes  which,  if  truly  known,  their  heart 
would  abhor,  or  been  the  bloody  executioners  of  otlier  men's 
ambition ! "  It  is  a  reflection  of  tiiis  sort  that  enables  one  to  love 
and  esteem  the  soldiers  of  an  army  as  individuals,  whom  as  a 
body  we  designate  by  tlie  harshest  epithets,  and  act  against  with 
severity  and  vigor. 

In  most  of  the  cities  and  towns  in  Spain,  as  soon  as  the  first 
effervescence  of  public  feeling  had  a  little  subsided,  provincial 
and  local  juntas  were  formed  for  the  conduct  of  public  affairs : 
these  juntas  levied  money  and  troops.  At  the  sea-ports  they 
opened  an  immediate  intercourse  with  the  English  fleets  upon 
their  coasts,  and  sent  deputies  to  England  to  ask  aid  in  arnts, 
clotliing,  and  treasure,  and  to  request  the  support  of  a  British 
army.  The  joyous  cries  throughout  all  the  land  were.  Viva 
Fernando  Septimo  I  Gnerra  con  la  Franqia  !  Paz  con  Inghil- 
terra!  Guerra  con  el  Mondo !  Paz  con  Inf^hiltFrra .'  While 
the  people  of  Spain  were  thus  manifesting  their  true  sentiments, 
the  council  of  Castile,  the  municijiality  of  Ma<lrid,  and  tJie  gov- 
erning jimfa,  at  the  intimated  desire  of  Napoleon,  elected 
Joseph  Buonaparte  king  of  Spain.  Canlinal  Bourbon,  primate 
of  Spain,  first  cousin  of  Charles  IV.,  and  archbishop  of  Toleda 


60  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

not  only  acceded  to  this  arrangement,  but  actually  wrote  a  let- 
ter to  Napoleon,  testifying  his  contentment  with  the  new  order 
of  things. 

Joseph  Buonaparte,  late  king  of  Naples,  reached  Bayonne  on 
the  7th  of  June :  on  the  15th  the  assembly  of  notables,  com- 
posed of  ninety-one  Spaniards  of  condition,  met  in  that  town, — 
received  Joseph  as  their  king, — discussed  the  constitution  pre- 
pared for  them  by  Napoleon  as  a  matter  of  form,  and  accepted 
it  as  a  matter  of  course.  Joseph  now  journeyed  to  Madrid, 
under  escort  of  his  brother's  troops,  and  was  proclaimed  "  Kino 
OF  Spain  and  the  Indies,"  with  the  usual  solemnities,  amid  a 
silent  and  sullen  population,  in  a  capital  that  bristled  with 
French  bayonets,  and  trembled  to  the  salutes  of  French  artil- 
lery.   It  proved  an  uneasy  crown. 


CHAP.  VIL 

THE     AFFAIRS     OF     SPAIN. HER     FIRST     REVERSES    IN   THE   FIELD.— 

THE   RISING   IN   PORTUGAL. THE    EXPEDITION    UNDER    SIR    ARTHUR 

WELLESLEY. 

Such  was  the  beginning  of  the  war  in  the  Peninsula.  Span- 
ish hands  were  early,  and  constantly,  armed  in  this  glorious 
contest.  Spanish  hearts  beat  warm  and  true  to  the  very  last : 
a  thousand  narrow  and  nameless  rivulets  that  run  among  the 
hills  of  Spam,  and  water  her  valleys,  were  crimsoned  with  the 
life-blood  of  her  sons.  "  That  mighty  stream  of  battle  which, 
bearing  the  glory  of  England  in  its  course,  burst  the  barriers  of 
the  Pyrenees,  and  left  deep  traces  of  its  fury  in  the  soil  of 
France,"*  but  for  the  indomitable  and  persevering  spirit  of  the 
Spanish  nation  would  never  have  rolled  over  the  rocky  frontier 
of  Portugal. 

The  great  mind,  the  great  individual  agent,  guided  by  whose 
genius  the  army  of  England,  the  only  true  and  efficient  army 
in  Spain,  did  finally  and  fully  triumph,  was  allowedly  the  duke 
of  Wellington.  All  England,  all  Europe,  have  acknowledged 
this;  nay,  the  very  children  of  Spain  have  sungf  it  in  the 
streets. 


*  Vide  Napier.  Preface,  p.  ix. 

t  What  officer,  or  what  soldier,  that  has  served  with  the  array  of  the  Penin- 
sula but  has  heard,  and  can  easily  recall  to  mind,  the  chorus-repetition  of  the 
words, 

"  Valorosos  valorosos  los  Ingleses, 
Valoroso  milord  Wellington  ?" 
The  very  voices,  and  the  very  tones,  and  the  tune,  return  as  we  write  the 
words,  and  for  a  second  of  time  we  are  carried  back  to  gpain. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  61 

That  the  deliverance  of  Spain  was  the  sole  work  of  tlieir 
own  hands  has  not  been  universally  asserted  by  Sjjaniards :  cer- 
tain it  is,  it  has  not  been  believed  by  tiie  world. 

On  the  30th  of  May  two  SjKinish  noblemen  brought  informa- 
tion to  London,  that  the  province  of  Asturias  had  risen  "  en 
masse"  and  that  forty  thousand  men  were  embodied,  witli  the 
intention  of  repelling  tlie  French. 

In  the  south  of  Spain  the  patriots  were  early  in  communica- 
tion with  Sir  Hew  Dalrymple  at  Gibraltar,  and  lord  Collingwood 
on  tlie  eastern  coast,  and  received  encouragement  and  aid  from 
those  officers. 

On  the  6th  of  June,  tlie  French  squadron  at  Cadiz  surren- 
dered to  the  patriots.  A  peace  was  on  tlie  instant  concluded 
between  England  and  Spain.  The  Spanisli  prisonei's  were  im- 
mediately sent  back.  Tlie  English  people  warmly  sympathized 
with  the  population  of  that  country ;  and  in  proportion  as  they 
had  been  depressed,  by  contemplating  the  triumphs  of  Napoleon 
in  the  north  of  Europe,  so  were  tiiey  now  most  extravagantly 
elated  by  the  ignorant  expectation  of  liis  immediate  overthrow 
in  the  south.  At  this  time  tlie  Frencli  force  in  Spain  and  Por- 
tugal was  120,000  men  :  they  pos.«essed  all  the  fortresses  of  the 
latter  kingdom,  and  many  of  those  considered  the  most  import- 
ant in  Spain ;  they  liad  a  reserve  at  Bayonne,  and  an  army  of 
400,000  veterans  in  Fnmce,  upon  the  Rhine,  and  in  Germany. 

It  has  been  tlie  fasiiion  in  England  to  rate  military  talent  low, 
and  hence  generals  have  been  viewed  as  persons  secondary,  and 
not  requiring  tlie  same  capacity  as  those  called  to  fill  political 
offices,  and  to  be  the  advisers  of  the  crown.  It  may  be  with 
safety  affirmed,  that  this  mistake,  though  not  without  its  use  in 
a  free  country,  has  often  subjected  the  operations  of  our  armies 
in  war  to  the  guidance  and  control  of  men  alike  incompetent 
to  originate,  to  follow  out,  or  fully  and  intelligently  to  sustain 
them.  To  the  very  opportunity  now  offered,  the  English  cabi- 
net, though  willing,  could  not  effectually  and  promptly  rise :  a 
fine  and  ample  theatre  for  effort  and  exertion  lay  open  before 
them,  but  they  knew  not  how  to  wield  the  military  strength  of 
Britain.  They  could  have  commanded  a  disposable  force  of 
70,(KX)  men :  they  employed  30,000 ;  and  these  divided  and  sub- 
divided to  provide  for  distant  and  different  objects. 

The  alarum  had  spread  through  Catalonia.  The  French 
general  Duhesme  commanded  in  Barcelona,  a  city  which  had 
been  early  and  treacherously  seized,  as  also  Monjuic  and  Figue- 
ras.  The  Siwinish  soldiers  of  the  betrayed  garrisons  quitted 
their  ranks,  and  flocked  to  the  patriotic  standanl  in  Murcia  and 
Valencia.  All  the  insurrections  of  the  Spanish  provinces  took 
place  at  nearly  tlie  same  moment ;  and  the  early  hostile  move- 
ments of  the  French  divisions  were  nearly  simultaneous. — 

Vol.  I.  F 


62  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

Marshal  Bessieres  attacked,  and  of  course  worsted,  the  patriots 
of  Navarre  and  Biscay,  who  merely  rose  armed,  and  declared- 
themselves,  but  had  neither  leaders  nor  points  of  union,  nor  any 
combination.  He  dispersed  many  of  their  assemblages,  and 
took  away  their  arms :  they  always  offered  resistance,  but  it 
was  vain.  The  division  of  Verdier  beat  them  at  Logrofio,  and 
put  their  leaders  to  death  after  the  combat.  The  cavalry  of 
Lasalle  fell  upon  a  body  of  Spaniards  at  Torquemada,  and  put  a 
vast  number  to  the  sword,  after  which  exploit  they  burned  the 
town.  There  was  something  like  a  Spanish  force  at  Segovia  : 
general  Freire  defeated  it,  and  took  thirty  pieces  of  artillery. 
At  Cabe^on  there  was  a  battle  between  the  Spanish  troops 
under  Cuesta  and  the  French  divisions  of  generals  Merle  and 
Lasalle.  Here  again  the  Spaniards  were  beaten,  lost  their  ar- 
tillery, were  broken  in  upon  by  the  brigade  of  cavalry  under 
Lasalle,  disarmed  of  some  thousands  of  muskets,  and  a  vast 
number  of  tliem  were  cut  to  pieces.  By  these  active  operations, 
and  by  the  unpitying  and  unsparing  severity  with  which  the 
French  used  the  sword,  these  provinces  were  awed,  and  for 
a  while  stilled ;  and  the  powerless  and  unhappy  peasants  saw 
the  fierce  horsemen  of  the  enemy  ride  about  to  raise  money, 
and  collect  provisions,  which  they  furnished  in  fear.  Cuesta, 
however,  undismayed  by  his  defeat,  collected  anotlier  army  and 
his  fugitives  at  Benevente  ;  was  joined  by  Blake,  from  Astorga  ; 
and,  advancing  with  2.5,000  infantry,  a  few  hundred  cavalry, 
and  from  twenty  to  thirty  pieces  of  artillery,  took  up  a  position 
at  Rio  Seco,  and  again  ventured  on  a  battle.  Here  he  was  at- 
tacked by  marshal  Bessieres,  at  the  head  of  15,000  men,  with 
thirty  guns.  The  marshal  had  two  divisions  of  infantry  ;  one 
of  light  cavalry ;  and  his  reserve  was  composed  of  four  battal- 
ions, and  a  small  body  of  horse  grenadiers,  all  of  the  imperial 
guard.  The  Spaniards  were  signally  defeated  ;  but  they  were 
not  disgraced.  When  their  front  line  was  down,  and  dead  bodies 
strewed  the  field,  Cuesta  fell  upon  the  French  with  his  second 
line,  and  with  his  right  wing  broke  in  upon  the  enemy's  (victo- 
rious already  over  half  his  army),  and  took  from  him  six  gims ; 
but  the  Spaniards,  though  brave  to  fight,  could  not  manoeuvre, 
even  had  Cuesta  been  capable  of  moving  them.  The  French 
check  was  soon  repaired ;  the  Spaniards  were  overpowered, 
and,  after  many  brave  rallies,  driven  from  tlic  field,  and  pursued 
by  a  superior  cavalry,  who,  as  usual,  shone  in  the  work  of 
slaughter. 

It  was  the  disaster  of  this  day  which  had  opened  the  gates  of 
Madrid  to  the  intruder.  In  the  province  of  Arragon  the  insur- 
rection was  organized  by  Don  Jose  Palafox,  a  patriotic  noble, 
the  captain-general  of  the  district.  The  French  general  Lefe- 
hre  Desnouettes,  marched  upon  Arragon  with  400O  infantry. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  63 

800  cavalry,  and  his  field  artillery.  At  Tudela,  the  people 
broke  down  the  bridge  over  the  Ebro,  and  disputed  the  passage 
over  that  river.  Lefebre  forced  it,  and  put  to  death  tlie  leaders 
of  the  rude  levy  by  which  he  had  been  opposed.  Palafox,  with 
10,000  raw  troops,  waited  for  him  on  the  Huecha.  The  Span- 
iards were  beaten.  They  ventured  a  second  combat  on  the 
Xalon ;  they  were  again  beaten.  Upon  the  15th  of  June  the 
French  columns  halted  before  the  city  of  Zaragoza.  Of  the 
siege  we  shall  give  no  detail ; — suffice  it  to  say,  Zaragoza  was 
not  a  fortress ;  but  it  contained  forty  or  fifty  thousand  inhabit- 
ants, witli  hearts  stronger  than  any  bastions.  For  two  months 
tlie  citizens,  aided  by  a  few  troops,  sustained  all  the  efl!brts  to 
reduce  them  which  the  talents  and  courage  of  their  enemy  sug- 
gested.* Palafox,  in  the  course  of  the  first  month,  went  forth 
and  collected  a  few  thousand  men,  and  fought  a  battle  to  relieve 
them ;  but  he  was  signally  defeated  at  Epila.  After  this  he 
re-entered  the  city,  the  investment  of  which  had  never  been 
complete,  and  directed  their  efforts  for  its  defence.  A  man  of 
the  people  named  "  Tio'''  t  Jorge,  or  Groodman  George,  as  colo- 
nel Napier  happily  translates  it,  was  ever  at  his  right  hand ;  nor 
is  there  any  doubt  that  he  exercised  a  most  powerful  influence, 
not  only  over  the  populace  but  over  Palafox  himself,  who  was  a 
man  of  a  less  firm  and  unyielding  resolution  than  he  has  been 
generally  regarded.  The  solid  houses,  and  the  walled  convents, 
were  battered,  bombarded,  and  the  half  of  them  won  by  the 
assailants ;  still  the  people  resisted.  The  French  penetrated  to 
the  very  heart  of  the  city,  and  stood  already  upon  the  Cosso ;  t 
but  on  the  opposite  side  the  people  still  breathed  defiance,  ana 
maintained  the  struggle.  The  wives  and  daughters  of  the  de- 
fenders, the  betrothed  virgins  of  the  youth  of  Zaragoza,  behaved 
as  became  them.     At  length  tlie  baffled  enemy  retired. 

Meantime  the  Catalan  had  so  well  obeyed  the  call  of  the 
somaten,  which  rung  out  upon  his  hills,  that  the  peasants  of 
eight  di.strict8  were  in  arms.  These  men  beat  the  French  gene- 
ral, Swartz,  early  in  June,  at  the  pass  of  Bruck,  where  they 
had  taken  post  among  the  rocks,  and  afterwards  drove  before 
them  the  division  of  Chabran,  pursuing  him  with  shouts  and  a 
dropping  fire  to  the  very  walls  of  Barcelona.  General  Duhesme 
assaulted  Gerona ;  the  weak  garrison  and  tiic  willing  citizens 
repulsed  him. 

In  an  attack  upon  Valencia,  marshal  Moncey  was  defeated ; 
but  he  afterwards  beat  the  Spaniards  under  Serbelloni  at  St. 


*TIk  division  of  Vcrdier  waa  lubsequently  attachml  to  Lefubro  with  a 
train  of  heavy  guns. 

\  IiiteiaUy,  "  uncle."  |  A  wide  itraet  to  uuned. 


64  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

Felippe,  and  took  post  at  St.  Clemente.  Cuenca  rose,  but  gen- 
eral Caulaincourt  pat  that  city  down. 

In  Andalusia,  matters  looked  brio-ht  and  promising,  Dupont, 
who  had  passed  the  barrier  of  the  Sierra  Morena,  had  taken  and 
plundered  Cordova,  sacked  Andcjox  in  a  yet  more  deliberate 
and  cruel  manner,  and  alarmed  the  wliole  province,  Seville  in 
particular.  After  a  series  of  blunders  as  great  as  his  offences, 
Dupont  capitulated  in  the  open  field  with  18,000  French  troops 
to  the  Spanish  forces  under  Castaiios  and  Reding.  The  battle 
of  Baylen  wos  a  battle  of  movements,  and  not  of  hard  fighting; 
and  neither  did  the  French  soldiers  show  their  usual  spirit,  nor 
the  French  general  any  of  that  talent  which  he  was  thought  to 
possess.  Dupont,  in  his  early  operations,  had  been  rash ;  and 
the  rashness  that  is  not  attended  with  success  is  often  very 
quickly  changed  for  affright.  There  was  some  suspicion  of 
treachery:  Napoleon  was  furious  at  the  disaster;  while  the 
Spanish  exultation  knew  no  bounds. 

The  spirit  abroad  in  Spain  soon  fired  the  Portuguese.  Irri- 
tated by  the  pride,  the  caprice,  and  the  exactions  of  the  French; 
afl'ronted  by  their  levities,  and  insulted  by  their  violence ;  the 
Portuguese  in  the  country  began  to  stir  themselves,  and  to  ex- 
hibit their  hatred  in  the  only  way  in  which  they  could — by 
secret  assassinations.  The  first  open  blow  was  struck  at  Oporto. 
When  the  news  from  Spain  reached  general  BeDesta,  com- 
manding the  Spaniards  in  that  city,  he  made  the  French  general 
(Quesnel)  and  his  staff  prisoners ;  and  leaving  the  Portuguese 
to  take  their  own  course,  marched  away  to  Gallicia.  Insurrec- 
tion soon  broke  out  at  0)X)rto,  and  spread  along  the  Douro  to 
Minko,  as  also  in  the  valley  of  the  Mondego,  and  penetrated 
the  hills  of  Beira.  Junot  promptly,  bravely,  and  with  little 
bloodshed,  disarmed  the  division  of  Spaniords  near  Lisbon,  and 
placed  them  in  confinement  on  board  the  ludks  in  tlie  Tagus. 

The  insurrection  was  now  so  general  and  open,  that  the  di- 
vision of  Loison  in  the  north  was  twice  regularly  attacked,  and 
greatly  harassed  by  the  Portuguese ;  there  was  a  rising  at  Villa 
Vi^iosa  in  the  south,  but  it  was  soon  put  down.  Tlie  town  of 
Beja  also  arose.  Colonel  Maransin,  with  the  troops  driven  just 
before  from  the  Agarves,  marched  there ;  routed  tlie  patriots 
with  slaughter ;  pillaged  the  town,  and  set  many  houses  on 
fire.  There  was  an  action  at  Leria  similar  to  that  at  Beja  in 
its  character  and  issue ;  but  the  people  of  Thomar  and  Alco- 
ba^a,  places  not  very  distant,  were  not  alarmed,  and  boldly 
declared  themselves :  at  both  places  they  were  quieted  and  put 
down. 

Loison,  being  recalled  by  Junot,  left  a  garrison  in  Almeida ; 
and  on  his  march  suffered  great  annoyance  from  the  opposition 
of  the  peasantry  on  his  route,  which  lay  through  a  country 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  65 

difficult  and  rugged.  There  was  fighting  both  at  Guarda  and 
Atalaya. 

There  was  also  a  battle  near  Evora,  in  the  south,  where  the 
Portuguese  insurgents  under  general  Leite  were  supported  by 
a  division  of  Spaniards  under  Moretti.  The  French,  of  course, 
beat  them,  slew  vast  numbers,  and  sacked  the  city.  Coimbra 
was  held  by  the  insurgents  from  Oporto  in  strength  :  the  bishop 
of  Oporto  was  chief  of  the  junta  in  that  city.  He  claimed  tlie 
assistance  of  England,  and  asked  arms,  ammunition,  and  clotli- 
ing  for  40,000  infantry,  and  8000  cavalry,  a  demand  implying 
thereby  a  power  of  raising  and  organizing  such  a  force, — an 
inflated  folly  or  an  interested  deception.  English  agents,  how- 
ever, were  sent  to  him,  and  to  all  the  provinces  of  Spain :  sup- 
plies were  granted  upon  every  idle  representation ;  and  treasure 
was  squandered,  and  stores  were  scattered,  with  an  improvident 
folly  and  an  uncontrolled  profusion. 

It  is  not  the  least  singular  feature  of  the  commencement  of 
this  war  in  the  Peninsula,  that  the  division  of  tlie  British  troops 
which  first  ap[)eared  in  tlie  field  had  been  assembled  for  an  ex- 
pedition to  Soutli  America,  with  a  view  to  conquest  there,  in 
direct  hostility  to  old  Spain.  Tlie  9000  men  collected  for  that 
object  were  now  disposable :  tliey  were  placed  under  tlie  orders 
of  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  and  he  embarketl  with  them  from  the 
harbor  of  Cork.  When  the  fleet  bearing  the  expedition  had 
made  a  few  days'  sail,  he  took  a  run  in  a  frigate  to  Corunna,  to 
confer  with  the  junta  of  Gallicia.  Tlie  news  of  the  lost  battle 
of  Rio  Seco  was  here  told  him,  the  disaster  softened,  and  the 
trutli  glossed  after  a  manner  alike  natural  and  excusable.  It  is 
not  likely  that  their  account  im[K)8ed  greatly  upon  a  man  so 
sure  to  weigh  their  statements  as  Sir  Arthur,  and  so  qualified 
to  estimate  them  aright 

There  is  nothing  wonderful  in  the  pressing  desire  of  this 
junta  to  receive  for  their  Gallician  levies  arms  and  gold,  which 
they  knew  to  have  been  so  largely  and  loosely  proflfercd  by  the 
generous  and  elated  English ;  neither  were  a  brave  people  to  be 
at  all  despised  for  imagming  themselves  as  equal  as  they  cer- 
tainly were  willing  to  fight  tlicir  own  battles  with  their  invaders. 
Though  the  circumstance  was  not  known  at  Corunna,  it  was  at 
this  time  that  a  body  of  18,000  Frencli  troops,  with  their  eagles, 
had  laid  down  their  arms  to  Spanisli  troops.  Let  it  be  also 
rememl)ered,  that  the  character  of  the  British  soldier  upon  the 
continent  was  not  looked  upon  by  the  S|xiniards  witli  much 
respect.  It  is,  nevertheless,  a  mark  either  of  fatuity  or  insin- 
cerity, that  the  junta  of  Gallicia  should  not  only  have  rejected 
the  assistance  of  British  troops,  but,  recommending  their  de- 
barkation in  the  nortli  of  Portugal,  sliould  have  promised  to  aid 
them  by  sending  a  Spanish  division  to  Ojwrto,  while  they  must 
F2 


66  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

have  known,  or  oug'lit  to  have  known,  that  they  were  not  them- 
selves, at  the  moment,  hi  a  condition  to  defend  their  own  prov- 
ince from  any  serious  attack. 

Sk  Arthur  next  proceeded  to  Oporto,  saw  the  busy  and  war- 
like bishop,  listened  to  his  plans,  looked  at  the  paper  state  of  his 
army,  but  learned  its  real  number  and  condition  from  colonel 
Browne.  Informed  of  the  true  state  of  things  by  this  officer, 
who  had  been  placed  there  to  collect  intelligence  and  distribute 
supplies,  he  decided  on  not  landing  at  this  ])li>ce.  He  now 
(having  stipulated  for  the  co-o))eration  of  5000  Portuguese  on 
tlie  Mondego)  took  liis  people  to  the  mouth  of  that  river,  and 
there  disembarked  them.  He  had  previously  consulted  with  Sir 
Charles  Cotton  upon  a  descent  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tagus, — a 
measure  that  the  ministers  at  home  had  strongly  recommended, 
but  which  appeared  to  these  officers  on  the  spot,  for  many  and 
good  reasons,  unadvisable.  In  like  manner  Sir  Arthur  decided 
against  proceeding  southward  towards  Cadiz, — a  plan  that  would, 
he  saw,  mvolve  him  in  negotiation  and  delay. 

A  dispatch  fi-om  general  Spencer  having  announced  that  he 
was  at  St.  Miiry's,  near  Cadiz,  disengaged  from  any  connexion 
with  the  Spaniards,  Sir  Arthur  sent  for  his  division.  The  ap- 
pointment of  Sir  Hew  Dalrymple  and  the  sailing  of  the  arma- 
ment under  Sir  John  Moore  were  communicated  to  him  off  the 
Mondego.  This  vexatious  intelligence  resolved  him  to  make  an 
immediate  descent  upon  the  coast  with  such  troops  as  he  had, 
and  to  commence  operations.  With  only  9000  men  he  threw 
himself  into  a  country  occupied  by  a  well-discipUned  French 
army,  mustering  more  than  double  his  numbers ;  out  with  this 
force  were  the  fortunes  of  Caesar. 


CHAP.  vni. 

SIR   ARTHUR   WELLESLEY    LANDS   IS   PORTCGAL.  —  OPERATIONS   OF   HIS 

ARMY. COMBAT   OF   ROLICA. BATTLE  OF  VIMEIRQ. —  CONVENTION 

OF    CINTRA. 

The  disembarkation  of  the  troops  in  Portugal  took  place  near 
the  little  fort  of  Figueras,  taken  from  the  French  in  the  early 
part  of  the  insurrection  by  one  Zagalo,  a  student  in  the  univer- 
sity of  Coimbra.  Here  the  English  first  landed  upon  a  service, 
the  duration  and  the  issue  of  which  no  one  living,  however  pre- 
scient and  sagacious,  could  have  at  all  anticipated.  Tlie  landing 
began  on  the  1st  of  August ;  but  though  the  weather  was  favor- 
able, the  difficulties  were  so  many  that  it  was  not  completed  till 
the  5th. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  67 

At  this  moment  general  Spencer  arrived.  As  soon  as  he  had 
learned  the  surrender  of  Dnpont,  he  sailed  with  his  division  for 
the  Tngns,  and  was  directed  by  Sir  Charles  Cotton  to  the  Mon- 
Aego.  The  united  forces  amounted  to  12,300  men.  It  was  the 
desire  of  general  Freire,  who  commanded  oil  the  Portuguese 
then  in  arms,  that  Sir  Arthur  should  abandon  the  const,  march 
up  into  the  heart  of  Beira,  and  open  an  offensive  comjKiion  ;  and 
he  promised  large  supplies  of  provision.  Sir  Arthur  declined 
this  meusure.  He  gave  Freire  5000  stand  of  arms,  and  the 
necessary  ammunition  for  his  troops,  which  did  not  exceed  COOO 
of  all  arms  effective;  and  these  by  no  means  in  a  state  to  give 
real  assistance  in  any  severe  trial.  Sir  Arthur,  however,  though 
resolute  not  to  abandon  the  line  of  communication  which  he  had 
chosen,  nor  to  move  to  any  great  distance  from  his  ships,  did,  at 
the  earnest  desire  of  Freire  to  save,  according  to  his  report,  a 
magazine  of  provisions  collected  for  tlie  British,  march  upon 
Leria.  The  English  advanced  guard  moved  from  their  ground 
upon  tlie  Mondego  on  the  9th  of  August,  and  was  followed  on 
the  10th  by  the  main  body  of  the  army.  Upon  this  wide  theatre 
of  fierce  and  sanguinary  warfare  was  now  first  heard  the  careless 
whistle  and  the  cheerful  laughter  of  tlie  English  soldier.  He, 
stranger  alike  to  the  violent  and  vindictive  feelings  which  ani- 
mated the  invader  and  the  inhabitant,  marched  gaily  forward, 
looking  for  a  combat  as  for  some  brave  pastime ;  and  panting  to 
prove  at  home  that  the  favored  jacket  of  blue  covered  not  bolder 
hearts  than  those  that  beat  proudly  under  his  own  crimson  uni- 
form. 

The  British  advance  entered  Leria  on  the  10th ;  and  the 
magazine  collected  for  them  was  seized  by  the  Portuguese 
under  Freire,  who  there  joined  the  English,  to  whom  no  distri- 
bution was  made.  This  first  movement  cut  the  line  of  commu- 
nication between  the  divisions  of  general  Ijoison  coming  from 
Abrantes,  and  Laborde,  who  was  marcliing  from  Liston,  with  a 
view  to  unite  their  forces  at  Leria:  to  effect  their  junction, 
Loison  was  now  compelled  to  circuitous  and  forced  marches. 

As  serious  hostilities  closely  impended,  the  Portuguese  began 
to  fear  the  risk  of  an  action,  and  the  con w(iuences  of  defeat: 
French  troops  were  thougiit  invincible:  of  Enolish  nothing  was 
known,  and  not  much  was  expected.  Tiie  junta  of  0|K)rto  and 
Freire  understood  each  otiier.  The  Portuguese  general  not  only 
resolved  not  to  advance  beyond  TiCria,  but,  having  already  appro- 
priated the  store  of  provisions  whicli  had  been  avowedly  des- 
tined for  the  British  by  the  bisliop  of  Oporto,  who  had  promised 
to  feed  them,  he  asked  a  supply  from  the  English  commander. 
This  demand  was  met  by  a  strong  remonstnince ;  but  it  was  in 
vain  tliat  Sir  Arthur  Wcllesley,  who  readily  penetrated  th« 


68  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

secret*  of  Freire's  reluctance,  urged  him  to  act  by  the  side  of 
the  EngHsh  in  the  expected  battle.  Neither  an  appeal  to  his 
honor,  nor  an  imputation  against  his  patriotism  and  spirit,  had 
any  effect  upon  his  resolve.  At  last,  however,  by  an  earnest 
and  conciliatory  tone.  Sir  Arthur  induced  him  to  follow  the 
British  line  of  march,  and  to  be  guided  in  his  future  course  by 
the  issue  of  the  first  engagement.  Freire  also  consented,  at 
the  desire  and  by  the  counsel  of  colonel  Trant,  a  military  agent, 
who  had  great  influence  over  the  Portuguese,  to  place  1400 
infantry,  and  250  cavalry,  under  the  orders  of  Sir  Arthur.  The 
political  importance  of  their  co-operation,  and  their  presence  in 
the  first  battle  fought  upon  their  own  soil,  will  be  readily  under- 
stood. Junot,  the  French  commander-in-chief,  quitted  Lisbon, 
with  his  reserve,  on  the  15th ;  and  on  the  17th,  pushing  on  in 
person,  and  leaving  them  to  follow,  he  joined  Jjoison  at  Alco- 
entre.  In  the  mean  time  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  had  arrived  in 
presence  of  Laborde.  On  the  15th  a  French  post  at  Brilos  was 
attacked,  and  their  pickets  driven  out  of  Obidos.  The  riflemen 
of  the  l*5th  and  60th  had  the  honor  of  this  first  brush  with  the 
enemy  i  and  were  so  eager  in  pursuit,  as  to  be  well-nigh  cut  oflT; 
but  general  Spencer  saved  them.  Two  officers  and  twenty-seven 
men  were  killed  and  wounded  in  this  skirmish.  On  the  mor- 
row Sir  Arthur  surveyed  the  strong  position  of  Laborde. 

The  romantic  village  of  Roli^a,  with  its  vines,  its  olives,  and 
quiet  gardens,  stands  upon  an  eminence  at  the  head  of  that  val- 
ley, in  the  midst  of  which,  distant  about  eight  miles,  rises  the 
insulated  hill  of  Obidos.  In  front  of  Rolica,  upon  a  small  plain, 
on  the  table  land,  the  division  of  I^aborde  was  drawn  up  in 
order  of  defence.  The  favorable  points  upon  the  hills  on  either 
side,  and  in  the  valley  below,  were  occupied  by  his  posts. 
Behind  him,  one  mile  to  the  rear,  the  steep  and  difficult  ridge 
of  Zambugeira  offered  a  second  position,  parallel  to  the  first, 
and  of  uncommon  strength.  The  mountains,  which  rose  tower- 
ing beyond,  are  of  that  chain  which  stretches  from  the  bank  of 
the  Tagus  to  the  shore  of  the  Atlantic,  and  terminates  in  the 
naked  and  lofl;y  rock  of  Cintra.  The  valley  leading  from  the 
old  Moorish  fort  of  Obidos  to  the  pleasant  village  of  Rolica  is 
walled  in  on  the  left  by  rude  heights,  rising  each  above  the 
other,  till  they  are  finally  lost  in  the  dark  summits  of  the  Sierra 
de  Baragueda.  To  preserve  his  communication  with  Loison, 
and  to  avoid  exposing  the  line  of  Torres  Vedras  and  Mafra, 
Laborde  was  compelled  to  await  in  this  position  the  assault  of 
the  British  troops.     His  force  was  only  5000,  but  it  was  advan- 

*  If  the  Eritis]i  were  defeated,  as  lie  thouglit  they  mifilit  Ix;,  he  would  not 
stand  committed,  and  might  make  terms  for  himself  If  they  conquered,  he 
could,  by  remaining  unconnected  with  tlie  English  army,  better  aid  the  views 
of  the  junta  of  Oporto,  who  aimed  at  the  supreme  authority. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  69 

tageously  posted, — aware  of  ibe  importance  of  the  position  as 
of  its  strength,  confident  in  the  talent  of  their  general,  and  their 
own  couruge. 

Early  upon  the  17th  the  English  moved  out  of  Obidos,  and 
Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  disposed  tliem  in  tliree  columns  of  attack. 
That  ou  tlie  left  was  conducted  by  genernl  Ferguson  along  the 
lower  ridges  of  the  Sierra  de  Riraguedn,  and  destined  to  turn 
tlie  rigiit  of  Laborde's  position,  and  interpose  between  him  and 
the  division  Loison  expected  from  Rio  Mnyor  to  his  support 
Six  guns,  forty  horsemen,  and  4S0O  bayonets,  moved  under 
this  general. 

One  th()Ui=and  Portuguese  infantry  and  fifLy  of  their  cavalry 
formed  a  little  column  on  the  right,  wliich,  moving  through  the 
village  of  St.  A\nios,  menaced  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy.  This 
body  was  led  by  colonel  Trant. 

Nine  tliousand  men  marched  up  tlie  valley  directly  upon  the 
enemy.  The  brigades  of  gener.ils  Hill,  Niglitingalo,  Cotton, 
Craufard,  and  Fane,  witii  150  British  light  hoi'sc,  '250  Portu- 
guese cavalry,  and  400  liglit  troops  of  that  nation,  composed 
this  formidable  column.  With  this,  the  main  body  of  his  little 
army,  rode  Sir  Artiiur  Welleslcy.  lie  extended  the  riflemen 
of  Fane's  brigade  among  tlie  lulls  to  the  left,  ns  the  troops  ad- 
vanced, and  drivi ag  away  the  French  skirmishers  connected  the 
column  of  Fergi>son  with  iiis  centre.  From  liis  first  position 
on  the  plain,  near  Rolica,  Labordc  was  soon  driven.  The  brisk 
attack  of  the  brigades  of  Hill  and  Nightinaale,  supported  hy 
the  cavalry  and  guns,  and  rendered  easy  by  the  skilful  disposi- 
tions which  had  caused  both  the  flanks  of  the  enemy  to  bo  men- 
aced at  the  same  moment,  determined  his  retreat.  Laborde, 
covered  by  liis  steady  cavalry,  moved  ra[)i(]ly,  and  in  order,  to 
his  second  line  of  defence,  the  ridge  of  Zamhugcira,  one  of 
great  strengtii,  and  not  a  uiile  in  extent. 

The  like  dispositions  of  attn.ck  were  continued.  Generals 
Ferguson  and  Fane  marched  on  among  the  mountaiiis  upon  the 
enemy's  right  flank,  colonel  Trant  still  moving  in  menace  of 
tlieir  left.  Tlie  front  of  their  strong  po'sition  was  a";iilod  by 
the  brigudcs  of  Hill  and  Nightingale.  The  fico  of  those  heights 
is  rugged,  and  their  .smnmilonly  to  be  gai\icd  by  steep  and  diffi- 
cwlt  pathways,  v/bicli  wind  among  rocks  and  brici-s,  in  those 
rude  ravines,  by  wliich  in  winter  the  watcis  rush  down  their 
precipitous  sides  to  the  vales  below.  The  quick  fire  of  our 
advoncing  skirmishers  rung  and  rattled  among  those  i-ocky 
hollows;  and  the  goatherds  looked  (lown  in  wonder  from  the 
fiir  Sierras,  uiwu  the  while  clouds  of  battle,  which  hid  from 
their  view  the  shouting  combalanls.  wliilc  the  brave  arniy  of 
the  reserve,  the  scarlet  in'iibrins,  and  tlie  unaccustomed  battle- 
cries,  told  them  tliat  their  oppressors  had  met  a  foe,  and  that 


70  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

their  bleeding  villages  had  found  a  friend.  Laborde  drew  back 
a  little  upon  his  left  as  the  English  advanced,  but  held  his  right 
with  obstinate  courage,  hoping  every  instant  for  the  appearance 
of  Loison. 

The  9th  and  29th  British  pushed  up  two  of  these  ravine 
pathways  with  such  eager  rapidity,  that  they  reached  the  sum- 
mit of  the  ridge  before  the  flanks  of  the  enemy  were  shaken. 
The  head  of  the  29th  regiment,  in  particular,  issued  from  the 
ravine,  in  that  narrow  and  loose  order  in  which  men  of  neces- 
sity come  forth  from  such  ground.  Before  they  had  time  to 
form,  a  French  battalion,  covered  by  a  screen  of  the  wild  shrubs 
which  clothe  these  passes,  had  poured  in  its  fire,  and  was  among 
them  with  the  bayonet,  l^ake,  the  colonel,  a  brave  officer,  was 
slain,  with  many  of  his  men ;  and  the  major  and  some  fifty  or 
sixty  naore  of  tlie  same  wing  were  made  prisoners :  but  it  was 
not  because  their  advanced  wing  had  been  thus  taken  at  a  dis- 
advantage by  a  prepared  and  posted  enemy  ;  it  was  not  because 
they  saw  a  field-officer  and  numbers  of  their  men  prisoners,  and 
had  to  press  over  the  bodies  of  fallen  comrades  to  re-establish 
the  battle,  that  the  gallant  29th  hesitated :  the  rally  was  imme- 
diate ;  the  remnant  of  tliis  brave  corps  being  joined  by  the  9th 
won  back  their  dead  and  wounded,  and  sustained  the  repeated 
and  fierce  assaults  of  Laborde's  division  with  unshaken  con- 
stancy, till,  being  supported  by  other  troops  from  the  rear,  they 
had  the  proud  joy  of  seeing-Laborde,  now,  too,  menaced  on  his 
flank,  again  retire.  The  French  general  conducted  his  retreat 
with  great  firmness  and  judgment.  He  attempted  to  stand 
again  near  the  village  of  Zambugeira,  but  was  too  weak  to  sus- 
tain the  weight  of  the  British  attack,  and  leaving  three  guns 
upon  the  field,  and  the  road  to  Torres  Vedras  open,  he  retired 
by  the  narrow  pass  of  Rufia,  marching  all  night  to  gain  the 
position  of  Montechique.  The  loss  of  the  French  was  600  killed 
and  wounded:  among  the  latter  was  Laborde  himself!  Two 
lieutenant-colonels,  and  500  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  was, 
the  loss  on  tlie  part  of  the  British.  It  was  not  possible,  from  the 
nature  of  the  gTound,  that  the  English  could  avail  themselves 
of  their  superior  numbers.  Scarce  4000  men  were  actually 
engaged  with  the  enemy.  This  day  should  be  long  and  honor- 
ably remembered  by  every  British  soldier ;  for  it  was  the  first 
action  of  the  memorable  war  in  the  Peninsula,  in  which  British 
forces  encountered  the  legions  of  Buonaparte. 

Lnmediately  after  the  engagement,  which  closed  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Sir  Arthur  took  up  a  position  a  little 
in  advance  of  the  field  of  battle.  It  was  reported  to  him  the 
same  evening,  that  the  divisions  of  generals  Anstruther  and 
Ackland  were  off  the  coast ;  he  therefore  moved  the  next  day 
to  Lourinham,  on  the  road  to  which  his  right  had  rested  through 


THE  DLTfE  OF  WELLINGTON.  71 

the  night.  He  moved  on  the  19th  to  Vimeiro,  with  a  view  to 
favor  the  landing  of  general  Anstruther,  and  from  thence  he 
detached  troops  to  cover  the  march  of  that  general's  brigade. 
Owing  to  these  precautions  the  junction  was  securely  effected, 
and  the  menace  of  a  large  body  of  French  dragoons  gave  little 
interruption  ;  but  the  enemy's  strength  in  cavalry  enabled  him 
to  confine  the  English  to  their  lines;  and  no  certain  information 
of  the  dispositions  and  movements  of  Junot  could  be  obtained. 
His  force  in  the  field  was  estimated  at  about  14,000.  On  the 
night  of  the  2()th  the  brigade  of  general  Ackland  was  also  put 
on  shore. 

The  landing  of  these  troops  in  the  bay  of  Maceira  was  at- 
tended with  great  risk  and  difficulty ;  and  witli  officers  less 
skilful  than  those  of  the  British  navy,  and  men  less  brave  and 
energetic  than  British  seamen,  could  not  have  been  effected. 
The  beach  of  Maceira  is  open  and  sandy,  and  the  Atlantic 
breaks  upon  it  in  a  heavy  surf.  Many  of  the  boats  were  swamp- 
ed, and  some  of  the  men  perished. 

Reinforced  by  generals  Anstrutlier  and  Ackland,  Sir  Arthur 
Wellesley  had  now  16,000  eflective  men,  and  eighteen  pieces 
of  artillery.  He  resolvefl,  by  a  forced  march  on  the  21st,  to 
turn  the  position  of  Torres  Vedras ;  to  push  a  strong  advance 
to  Mafra,  and,  seizing  the  strong  heigiits  within  a  short  distance 
of  that  place,  intercept  the  French  line  of  march  to  Monte- 
chique.  It  was  only  a  march  of  nine  miles  to  Torres  Vedras, 
and  there  was  a  roml  which  led  to  it  from  the  sea-coast.  It  was 
by  this  line  Sir  Arthur  would  have  advanced :  he  had  communi- 
cated this  project  to  Sir  Harry  Burrard  in  writing,  and  had,  at 
the  same  time,  recommended  that  the  division  of  general  Sir 
John  Moore  should  disembark  at  the  Mondego,  and  march  to 
Santarem.  These  letters  Sir  Harry  Burrard  found  on  his  arri- 
val at  the  Mondego;  but,  disapproving  this  plan,  which  pro- 
posed a  double  line  of  operations,  he  continued  his  course  south- 
ward, and  arrived  in  the  bay  of  Maceira,  in  a  frigate,  on  the 
eve  of  Sir  Arthur's  projected  blow  against  Junot.  lie  received 
the  report  of  that  general,  wlio  went  on  board  the  vessel  the 
moment  she  arrived  to  represent  the  state  of  the  armies,  and  to 
urge  the  adoption  of  the  offensive.  Sir  Harry  Burrard  would 
hear  of  no  such  movement  until  the  arrival  of  Sir  John  Moore 
and  the  concentration  of  tlie  whole  force.  Sir  Artiiur  returned 
to  the  camp  in  disappointment ;  but  a  day  of  glory  was  nearer 
than  he  at  the  moment  thought  it.  At  midnight  he  was  a\vakcn- 
ed  to  hear  the  rcjwrt  of  a  German  officer  of  dragoons,  who  had 
come  in  with  anxious  haste  to  announce  the  approach  of  Junot 
with  20,0(K)  men,  and  stated  him  to  be  within  a  league  of  the 
camp. 

Tne  general  sent  out  patrols,  directed  increased  vigilance 


72  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

and  alertness  on  the  part  of  all  pickets  and  guards,  but  Would 
not  disturb  his  line. 

It  may  be  remarked,  in  passing-,  that  no  general  ever  received 
reports  with  such  calm  caution  as  Sir  Arlhiu-  Wellesley.  Sud- 
denly awaked,  he  would  hear  an  alarmino-  account  from  the 
front  with  a  quiet,  and,  to  many  a  bustling,  intelligent  officer,  a 
provoking-  coldness,  and  turn  again  to  his  sleeji  as  before.  Few, 
if  any,  are  the  instances  during-  the  war  of  liis  putting-  the 
troops  under  arms  by  night,  or  disapf  ointiug-  tliem  unnecessarily 
of  one  hour  of  repose.  An  liour  before  dawn,  tlie  British, 
when  near  an  enemy,  are  always  under  arms.  Tiie  sun  rose 
upon  them  on  the  21st  of  August,  but  discovered  no  hostile 
force  in  motion. 

Vimeiro,  a  pretty  village  in  a  lovely  and  peaceful  valley, 
through  wliich  the  little  river  of  ]\Iaceira  gently  flows,  was  the 
principal  place  in  the  British  lines,  and  occupied  by  the  park, 
the  commissariat,  and  that  noisy  crowd  of  animals  and  followers 
which  mark  the  presence  of  an  army.  It  stands  at  tbe  eastern 
extremity  of  some  mountain  heights  which  screen  it  from  the 
sea,  and  west  of  it,  sepax-ated  from  them  by  a  Ceep  ravine,  lie 
other  heights ;  over  these  last  the  road  passes  to  liOurinliara. 
The  cavalry  and  Portuguese  lay  behind  the  village  on  a  plain, 
upon  a  plateau,  on  a  steep  insulated  height;  the  brigades  of  An- 
struther  and  Fane,  with  six  guns,  were  immediately  in  front  of 
Vimeiro.  The  right  of  the  latter  rested  upon  one  extremity  of 
this  hill  just  above  the  river  Maceira,  and  the  left  of  Anstruther 
occupied  a  church  and  chm-ch-yard  at  the  other.  Here  passed 
a  road  leading  to  the  village.  On  the  mountain  that,  com- 
mencing at  the  coast,  rose  to  the  right  and  rear  of  this  plateau, 
and  which  at  long  range  commanded  it,  were  placed  eight  guns 
and  five  brigades  of  infantry.  The  range  of  lieights  to  the 
west  having  no  water  was  only  occupied  by  pickets ;  but  the 
right  of  these  also  commanded  the  plateau,  and  the  road  passing 
over  its  extreme  edge. 

About  eight  o'clock  the  enemy  showed  a  picket  of  horse  on 
the  heights,  towards  Lourinham,  and  pushed  forward  his  scouts; 
nearly  at  the  same  moment  he  was  seen  in  all  his  strength,  and 
in  full  march  upon  the  road  leading  from  Torres  Vech-as  to 
Lourinham,  and  Iiis  object  was  evident.  Four  brigades  from 
the  mountain  on  the  east  crossed  instantly  in  rear  of  the  village, 
and  crowned  the  lieights  on  the  west.  As  soon  as  two  of  them 
were  formed,  being  disposed  at  right  angles,  v/itli  Anstruther 
and  Fane  in  two  lines  facing  to  the  left,  the  battle  began.  The 
brigade  of  Hill  still  remained  upon  the  mountain  in  reserve ; 
and  one  brigade  and  the  Portuguese  w^eve  placed  upon  a  return- 
ing bend  of  the  western  heights  at  their  extremity,  thereby  pro- 
tecting the  left  and  rear  of  the  w'hole  force.     The  French  had 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  73 

14,000  men,  and  twenty-three  pieces  of  artillery.  The  infantry 
were  in  three  divisions  under  Loison,  Laborde,  and  Kellerman ; 
general  Margaron  commanded  1300  horse.  The  principal 
column  of  the  enemy,  led  by  Laborde,  advanced  against  the 
position  in  front  of  the  village  with  the  fuiy  and  the  loud  out- 
cries of  men  resolved  for  victory :  in  vain  the  British  guns 
poured  death  into  their  ranks:  they  moved  on  with  a  steady 
rapidity,  and  crowned  the  summit  of  the  hill.  Before  a  cool 
volley  from  the  SOtli,  within  twenty  paces,  their  front  rank  fell ; 
and  as  their  column  faltered  with  the  shock,  the  firm  bayonets 
of  that  brave  regiment  were  already  in  tlic  miJst  of  them,  and 
they  were  driven  down  with  great  bloodshed. 

The  brigade  of  Fane,  which  was  attacked  at  the  same 
moment,  bravely  repulsed  the  assailing  column.  Upon  this 
body,  as  it  retired  in  confusion,  the  v/eak  squadron  of  the  20th 
light  dragoons,  under  colonel  Taylor,  made  a  lively  charge,  and 
completed  their  disaster ;  but  the  few  English  horsemen  were 
in  turn  set  upon  by  the  strong  cavalry  of  Margaron,  and  cut  to 
pieces,  their  gallant  colonel  HilUng  slain  in  the  melee.  There 
was  a  fierce  struggle  between  tlie  grenadiers  of  Kellerman'a 
column  of  reserve  and  the  British  43d,  in  a  Jict  skirmish  among 
the  vineyards  near  the  church:  they  drove  back  the  advanced 
companies  of  that  corps;  but  it  rallied  instantly,  and,  tiirowing 
itself  upon  the  head  of  die  column  in  a  narrow  ravine,  it  broke 
and  routed  them  witli  the  bayonet,  sustaining  itself  a  heavy  loss. 
The  discomfiture  of  these  attacks  in  the  centre  was  complete ; 
but  no  army  can  be  destroyed,  however  beaten,  that  has  got 
protection  for  its  fugitives  in  a  superior  cavalry.  Had  two  of 
the  regiments  of  the  dragoons  then  kept  idle  in  tiie  barrack- 
yards  at  home  been  present,  the  march  to  Torres  Vedras  would 
have  been  made,  and  Lisbon  been  our  own.  Brennier,  who  was  to 
have  attacked  the  British  left,  found  their  position  inaccessible, 
owing  to  a  deep  and  difficult  ravine  at  its  base,  which  he  was 
not  aware  of,  and  in  which  he  got  disordered  and  delayed. 
Meanwhile  general  Solignac,  with  a  brigade  of  I/)ison's  divis- 
ion, turned  this  ravine,  and  fell  upon  the  English  left.  He  was 
met  by  the  regiments  under  Ferguson,  who  bore  down  upon 
him  with  a  close  and  heavy  fire  of  musketry,  and  at  last  with 
the  weapon  of  victory,  the  bayonet 

They  drove  Solignac,  and  took  six  guns.  General  Ferguson 
was  pressing  his  broken  columns  with  some  corps,  wliile  two  of 
his  regiments  were  halted  near  the  capture*!  gims.  Brennier, 
meanwliile,  came  suddenly  out  of  the  ravine,  which  he  had  just 
cleared,  and  succeeded  for  a  moment  in  repossessing  himself'  of 
them.  But  the  regiments  did  not  retire  far ;  only  to  a  near  van- 
tage-ground, from  whence,  pouring  in  a  hot  fire,  they  again 
charged,  and  again  the  guns  were  taien.  Brennier  was  wounded 

Vol.  I.  G 


74  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

and  made  prisoner.  Ferguson,  who  had  separated  the  two 
French  brigades  by  his  able  and  spirited  movements,  would 
have  taken  more  than  half  the  brigade  of  Solignac,  if  an  order 
to  halt  had  not  arrested  him  in  mid-career.  The  French  re- 
formed instantly  under  cover  of  their  cavalry,  and  retired  in 
very  tolerable  order.  It  was  the  wish  of  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley 
to  press  Junot  closely  with  the  five  brigades  on  the  left,  while 
those  of  Hill,  Anstruther,  and  Fane,  should  march  upon  Torres 
Vedras,  push  to  Montechique,  and  intercept  all  access  to  Lisbon- 
All  the  artillery  of  Junot  that  yet  remained  to  him,  and  many 
thousand  prisoners,  would  have  been  the  probable  fruit  of  this 
movement ;  but  the  heart,  big  with  accomplished  victory,  and 
granted  desires,  and  swelling  with  new  and  bold  hopes,  and  the 
head  clear  in  its  discernment,  and  strong  in  its  decision,  were 
now  subjected  to  the  commands  of  another.  Sir  Harry  Burrard, 
who  was  present  during  the  action,  and  had,  from  generosity 
and  approbation,  forborne  all  interference  with  the  arrangements 
of  the  battle,  now  assumed  the  command,  and,  considering  the 
proposed  advance  hazardous,  directed  the  halt.  All  those  cir- 
cumstances of  difficulty,  which  weigh  upon  a  cautious  and 
objective  mind,  decided  Sir  Harry  not  to  peril  the  certain  and 
solid  advantages  just  gained  upon  the,  to  him,  doubtful  chance 
of  the  complete  and  anticipated  triumph.  The  enemy,  he  said, 
were  strong  in  cavalry ;  the  English  had  none ;  the  artillery 
carriages  were  shaken  to  pieces,  and  might  not  stand  the  roads ; 
while  their  horses  were  few  and  bad,  and  scarcely  able  to  drag 
them  forward.  The  French  rallied  quick,  and  had,  perhaps, 
fresh  troops  among  the  woods  and  hollows  in  front.  Upon  dis- 
tant heights,  indeed,  a  body  had  been  discovered  by  general 
Spencer.  It  appeared  to  him  a  risk,  and  though  a  brave  and 
honorable  officer,  yet  being  no  longer  a  young  man,  he  decided 
against  the  onward  march  upon  fair  military  reasons.  Bitter  as 
was  the  disappointment  of  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  still  he  was 
consoled  by  the  thought  that  his  own  skill,  seconded  admirably 
by  the  courage  of  his  soldiers,  had  achieved  a  brilliant  victory. 
A  second  time  the  imperial  troops  had  been  met,  and,  after 
efforts  the  most  resolute  and  heroic,  had  been  fairly  and  signally 
beaten,  leaving  thirteen  guns,  their  wounded,  and  a  vast  number 
of  prisoners.  The  charm  which  had  palsied  the  hearts  and  arms 
of  all  Europe  was  now  doubly  broken.  In  the  Peninsula,  Napo- 
leon had  found  a  people  who  hated  without  fearing  him,  and  in 
the  English,  his  soldiers  had  encountered  enemies  who  repelled 
their  fiercest  attacks  or  assailed  their  strongest  posts  with  equal 
ardor  and  success.  On  the  morning  after  the  battle,  Sir  Hew 
Dalrymple  arrived,  and  assumed  the  chief  command ;  a  most 
excellent  and  judicious  officer;  but,  perhaps,  it  was  scarcely 
possible  for  man  to  be  placed  in  circumstances  more  difficult  and 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  75 

trying.  We  record  with  irritation  this  quick  and  clumsy  suc- 
cession of  commanders.  The  French,  in  safe  possession  of  the 
unassailable  position  of  Torres  Vedras,  and  having  the  capital 
in  tlieir  immediate  power,  as  well  as  the  fortresses  of-  Almeida 
and  Elvas,  though  beaten  in  the  field  by  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley, 
and  hated  by  an  insurgent  people,  were  certainly  in  a  condition 
to  propose  terms  that  should  save  to  them  their  liberty  and  their 
arms.  The  general,  Kellerman,  presented  himself  at  the  British 
head-quarters ;  demanded  a  cessation  of  hostilities,  and  stated 
the  readiness  of  Junot  to  evacuate  Portugal  upon  a  fair  and 
honorable  convention.  Sir  Hew  Dalrymple  acceded  to  this 
proposition;  and  Sir  Arthur  concurred  in  the  policy  of  now 
gaining  by  treaty  those  advantages  which,  tlie  golden  opportu- 
nity having  passed,  force  of  arms  could  no  longer  effectually  or 
speedily  secure.  Upon  the  expediency  of  some  of  the  articles 
of  this  convention  the  commanders  differed,  but  upon  the  gene- 
ral principle  of  the  measure  they  agreed.  While  the  conven- 
tion was  going  forward,  the  reinforcements  under  Sir  John 
Moore  landed  in  Maceira  Bay.  The  feature  of  the  treaty  most 
remarkable  to  the  future  historian  and  to  posterity  will  be  this, 
that  the  nation  to  whose  cause  we  had  brought  our  succors  was 
not  in  the  person  of  any  of  its  autliorities,  or  of  its  public  offi- 
cers, military  or  civil,  at  first,  either  considered  or  consulted. 
The  convention  went  distinctly  to  recognize  that  the  French 
were  the  conquerors  of  Portugal,  and,  as  such,  had  been  entitled 
to  exercise  all  the  rights  of  conquest.  The  Portuguese,  by  the 
fiflh  article  of  this  notable  treaty,  saw  the  plunder  of  their 
country  secured  to  their  rapacious  and  cruel  invaders,  and  they 
remonstrated  against  the  terms  of  the  convention  with  violence 
and  anger.  By  the  sixth  article,  all  traitors  and  timeservers 
were  to  be  protected  from  political  persecution  on  account  of 
their  late  conduct,  and  were  left  to  hatch  new  treasons  when- 
ever the  French  should  again  return. 

General  Freire,  and  the  bishop  and  junta  of  Oporto,  sought 
to  disturb  these  arrangements  by  open  remonstrance  and  much 
secret  intrigue,  which  it  were  alike  uninteresting  and  tedious 
to  detail.  Emissaries  from  Oporto  urged  the  populace  of  Lis- 
bon to  rise  upon  the  French,  who  were  now  concentrated  in 
tliat  city,  but  lay  there  constantly  upon  the  alert,  as  in  the  midst 
of  enemies.  The  judge  of  the  people  issued  an  inflammatory 
addres.s,  calling  for  a  suspension  of  tlie  treaty,  and  the  Monteiro 
Mor,  at  the  head  of  a  levy  of  peasants,  on  tlie  south  bank  of  the 
Tagus,  published  a  protest  against  the  convention.  Happily 
Sir  John  Hope,  being  appointed  to  command  Lisbon,  took  pos- 
session of  the  citadel  on  the  r2th  of  September,  and  by  judg- 
ment and  firmness  calmed  the  tumults  and  repressed  those  dan- 
gerous and  terrible  disorders  which  in  the  moment  of  vindictivo 


76  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

confusion  and  total  anarchy  prevailed.  The  first  division  of  the 
French  army  sailed  on  the  15th,  and  was  followed  by  the  second 
and  third  as  soon  after  as  transports  could  be  provided.  In  the 
midst  of  all  the  angry  excitement  of  the  people  of  Lisbon,  and 
though  endeavors  had  been  made  to  direct  their  indignation 
against  the  English,  as  friendly  to  the  French,  and  indifferent 
to  the  losses  tliey  liad  sustained,  and  the  sufferings  they  had 
undergone,  the  British  troops  were  received  with  great  warmth 
and  cordiality.  They  viewed  them  as  having  avenged  their 
wrongs  in  the  blood  of  a  battle,  and  hailed  tliem  as  deliverers 
and  friends. 

After  the  departure  of  the  French,  the  bishop  of  Oporto,  and, 
at  his  instigation,  the  junta  of  that  city,  sought  to  possess  them- 
selves of  the  supreme  power  in  Portugal,  and  were  desirous 
tliat  the  seat  of  the  government  should  be  established  at  Oporto. 
This  was  most  wisely  and  firmly  resisted  by  Sir  Hew  Dalrym- 
ple.  A  regency  was  established  at  Lisbon,  and  that  capital  and 
the  country  were  at  length  restored  to  a  state  of  confidence  and 
tranquillity. 

Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  Sir  Harry  Burrard,  and  Sir  Hew  Dal- 
rymple,  were  now  recalled  to  England,  where  the  public  had 
been  so  clamorous  against  the  convention,  that  a  formal  investi- 
gation of  the  matter  was  directed  by  the  king ;  and  a  board  of 
general  ofncers  was  assembled  at  Chelsea  for  that  purpose. 

To  the  fifth  article,  especially,  Sir  Arthur  WelJesley  object- 
ed ;  but  the  French,  by  plausible  explanations  and  fair  assurances, 
overruled  these  objections;  and  the  manly  integrity  of  the 
British  generals  made  them  incredulous  of  the  extent  of  French 
cupidity  and  crime,  till  their  shuffling  evasions  and  impudent 
abstractions,  on  the  eve  of  their  departure,  shamed  and  disgusted 
the  honorable  men  of  their  army  as  much  as  the  commissioners 
of  our  own.  It  is  a  real  pleasure  to  be  able  to  state,  that  there 
were  French  generals  with  this  very  army,  wlio,  in  tlie  last  mo- 
ments of  their  stay,  when  popular  exasperation  was  loose  against 
the  troops,  and  wlien  the  language  of  abuse  was  fierce,  and  the 
threats  of  murder  loud,  could  walk  the  streets  in  perfect  safety, 
saluted  and  honored  by  the  people.  The  names  of  Travot, 
CJiarlot,  Erennier,  and  many  others,  are  on  this  honorable  list. 

The  convention  of  Cintra  was  odious  to  the  Portuguese  peo- 
ple, and  could  not  be  otherwise,  till,  relieved  of  the  presence 
of  the  French  army,  they  had  leisure  to  discover  the  solid  ad- 
vantages accruing  from  tlie  treaty,  and  to  ponder  on  the  violence 
W'hicli  the  enemy  minht  have  exercised  before  they  retired 
from  Lisbon,  liad  they  been  driven  to  desperation  by  the  rejec- 
tion of  their  terms. 

The  last  division  of  the  Frencli  troops  embarked  amid  the 
cufses  and  execrations  of  the  people.    From  the  decks  of  their 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON;  Tt 

vessels  they  heard  the  songs  of  triumph  ;  and  the  blaze  of  the 
illuminated  city,  shining  far  out  upon  the  harbor,  surrounded 
them  with  a  light  by  which  to  read  in  each  other's  faces  their 
vexation.  There  was  yet  some  troublesome  hesitation  on  the 
frontiers.  This  was  owing  entirely  to  the  intrigues  of  the 
bishop  of  Oporto,  and  the  obstinate  interference  of  Calluzzo, 
the  Spanish  general,  who  refused  to  acknowledge  the  conven- 
tion, and  invested  fort  La  Lippe.  At  length,  however,  the  diffi- 
culty was  removed.  The  forts  of  Elvas,  La  Lippe,  and  Almeida, 
were  evacuated :  not  a  Frenchman  was  left  in  Portugal. 


CHAP.  IX. 

SIR  ARTHUK  WELI.ESLEY  RETURNS  TO  ENGLAND  TO  ATTEND   THE   COURT 
OF    INQUIRY.  —  PROCEEDS     AGAIN    TO     PORTUGAL     THE     FOLLOWING 

SPRING.  —  UI9     RECEPTION    AT    LISBON. RETROSPECT    OF    SPANISH 

AFFAIRS. 

The  ability  and  prowess  of  Sir  Arthur  Wcllcsley  in  the  bril- 
liant actions  which  preceded  the  convention  of  Cintra  had  so 
confirmed  and  established  him  in  favor  with  the  people  of  Eng- 
land, that  nothing  tended  more  to  allay  the  irritation  of  the 
public  mind  at  that  measure  than  the  circumstance  of  his  being 
one  of  the  parties  concerned.  When  they  heard  him  give  it  as 
his  deliberate  opinion,  that  the  convention  was  from  the  relative 
state  and  position  of  the  two  armies  a  measure  expedient  and 
wise,  the  reflecting  paused  in  their  hasty  objections,  and  soon 
dropped  the  mistaken  and  indignant  tones  of  their  first  censure. 
Some,  incapable  of  calmly  examining  or  truly  judging  any 
question  of  a  military  nature,  railed  on.  Justice,  however,  and 
moral  feeling,  had  received  so  severe  a  blow  in  the  triumph  of 
rapine  and  of  cunning,  that  perhaps  the  honest  hearts  through- 
out all  England  felt  a  painful  regret  at  these  proceedings.  It 
will  yet,  and  perhaps  for  ever,  remain  a  question,  whether  this 
course,  in  which  from  a  consideration  of  its  expediency  on  the 
evening  of  the  22d  Sir  Arthur  (with  two  officers  senior  to  him 
in  the  camp)  concurred,  would  have  been  by  himself  adopted 
under  tlie  same  circumstances,  had  the  entire  control  of  mea- 
sures, and  the  sole  daring  of  attempt,  and  the  sole  glory  of  suc- 
cess, and  the  sole  responsibility  for  failure,  rested  with  him.  It 
is  true  that  the  French  army  on  the  evening  of  tlic  2*2'1  had  a 
formidable  position  between  the  British  and  Lisbon.  They  had 
the  means  of  retiring  .from  tliat  position  to  others  in  front  of 
that  city,  and,  finally,  of  crossing  the  Tagus  into  Alemtejo,  with 
n  view  to  Uie  occupation  in  strength  of  the  forts  of  Elvas,  La 
Lippe,  and  eventually  Almeida.  The  position  at  Santarem 
G3 


78  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

never  having  been  occupied  as  proposed  by  Sir  Arthur,  there 
were  no  means  to  prevent,  and  no  increase  of  numbers  could 
have  prevented,  them  from  effecting  these  objects.  They  were, 
however,  in  a  very  embarrassed  state ;  they  would  not  have  re- 
mained lontr  at  Lisbon,  but  they  might  have  lingered  a  day  too 
long.  A  trip,  a  blunder,  a  false  step,  and  they  might  yet  have 
been  exposed  to  defeat  and  ruin.  Though  there  never  was  a 
leader  who  more  warily  calculated  all  probabilities,  and  more 
happily  adjusted  the  weight  assignable  to  each,  than  Sir  Arthur 
Wellesley,  yet  neither  was  there  ever  a  man  more  prompt  and 
ready  for  the  peril  of  a  throw.  But  he  was  always  for  fluttering 
the  Volscians  alone:  "alone  I  did  it,"  was  the  reflection  he 
ever  coveted.  Of  the  members  of  the  court  of  inquiry,  four 
approved,  and  three  disapproved,  of  the  convention. 

It  was  not  till  the  month  of  April  in  the  following  year,  that 
Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  again  landed  in  Portugal.  He  was  re- 
ceived at  Lisbon  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  The  very  sight 
of  a  man  who  had  already  fought  and  conquered  the  enemies  of 
Portugal  upon  the  soil  of  Portugal  animated  all  ranks  with 
hope  and  joy :  the  regency  nominated  him  the  marshal-general 
of  their  army ;  the  soldiers  gazed  upon  him  with  confidence ; 
and  the  people  followed  him  wherever  he  appeared  with  shouts 
and  vivas.  The  spirit  of  war  and  resistance  was  alive  all  over 
the  Peninsula,  and  the  genius  given  in  this  our  age,  to  direct  it 
to  the  great  end  of  a  final  and  full  deliverance,  stood  again 
among  its  brave  inhabitants. 

To  make  the  difficulties  of  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  apparent, 
and  the  story  of  his  achievements  complete,  it  is  necessary  to 
relate  the  events  which  had  befallen  the  countries  of  Spain  and 
Portugal  during  his  absence  from  the  theatre  of  war.  In  look- 
ing back  upon  the  struggles  of  Spain,  and  thinking  upon  her 
powerful  opponent,  her  disasters  excite  no  surprise.  Southey 
has  observed  with  truth,  that  during  revolutions,  discipline  is 
the  last  tiling  which  a  soldier  learns.  Certainly,  during  a 
revolution,  where  a  soil  is  half  covered  by  invaders;  where 
"  the  whole  structure  of  society  is  shaken  to  pieces ;"  where 
there  are  no  officers  of  experience ;  no  non-commissioned  officers 
of  authority ;  no  generals ;  no  staff;  that  he  should  learn  it,  is 
impossible :  how  is  he  to  be  instructed  ?  where  can  be  his  place 
of  security  for  his  school  of  discipline  ?  and  where  his  leisure 
to  attain  it  ]  If  the  reader  will  picture  to  himself  a  vast  body 
of  local  militia  suddenly  assembled  in  England,  with  officers  of 
unspeakably  less  intelligence  than  those  of  an  English  local 
militia,  and  quite  as  little  experience  ;  with  a  system  of  move- 
ment old,  formal,  cumbrous,  and  slow ;  men  half-clothed,  half- 
armed,  and  commanded  by  proud  and  obstinate  generals  of  no 
experience ;  he  will  see  many  of  such  armies  as  actually  met 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  79 

in  battle  the  disciplined  and  brave  conquerors  of  Germany  under 
the  guidance  of  leaders  alike  distinguished  by  their  talents  and 
their  exploits. 

Upon  the  victory  of  Baylen,  Joseph  Bonaparte  abandoned 
Madrid,  taking  with  him,  as  king  of  Spain  and  the  Indies,  the 
valuables  of  the  palace  and  the  jewels  of  the  crown.  A  central 
and  superior  junta  now  assumed  the  government,  and  was  es- 
tablished at  Aranjuez.  The  patriotic  troops  all  over  Spain  were 
either  assembling  or  moving,  at  the  will  of  their  Respective 
generals,  without  any  defined  object,,  or  the  least  combimition: 
12,000  men  under  Llamas  marched  from  Murcia  to  Madrid. 
St.  Marc  with  his  Valencians,  and  the  baron  de  Versag^  with 
his  Arragonesc,  did,  however,  unite  their  forces,  and  moved  to 
Zaragoza.  Verdier  and  Lefebvre  broke  up  the  siege  on  their 
approach,  and  retired  to  Tudela.  The  Spaniards  followed  them, 
and  occupied  that  place. 

The  army  of  Andalusia  was  a  clothed,  and,  in  so  far,  equipped 
and  efficient  body  of  30,000  men,  with  artillery.  It  was  a  month 
before  a  division  of  this  force  entered  Madrid:  the  other  divis- 
ions lay  behind  it,  at  Toledo,  in  La  Mancha,  and  in  tlie  Sierra 
Morena.  It  had  been  kept  idle  and  delayed  by  the  provincial 
junta  of  Seville,  and,  thus  distributed,  it  was  now  to  be  fed. 
The  infantry  army  of  Estramadura  was  a  raw  levy ;  there  were, 
however,  4000  horse  in  this  province.  Galluzzo,  the  governor, 
would  not  part  with  this  body  of  cavalry,  or  suffer  it  to  join  Cas- 
tafios  at  Madrid.  The  army  of  Blake,  defeated  at  Rio  Seco,  lay 
behind  the  mountains  of  Astorga :  to  his  old  reserve  he  had 
added  a  now  levy ;  and  30,000  men,  the  greater  part  peasants, 
in  peasant  clothing,  mustered  round  him.  Cuesta,  with  1500 
horse  and  8000  peasants,  was  at  Salamanca,  quarrelling  witii  the 
provincial  jtmta,  and  Blake  was  quarrelling  with  him.  The 
generals  of  the  different  armies,  and  the  juntas  of  the  different 
provinces,  were  disputing  with  each  other  for  influence  and 
precedency,  and  each  occupied  with  their  own  plans.  At  this 
time  3000  French  horsemen  were  sweeping  the  rich  and  fertile 
banks  of  the  Douro  for  corn  and  money ;  while  Joseph  Bona- 
parte was  at  Vittoria,  at  the  head  of  50,(XX)  of  those  French 
troops,  of  wiiom  Napoleon  had  said,  "  The  whole  of  the  Spanish 
forces  are  not  capable  of  beating  twenty-five  thotisand  French 
in  a  rea.sonable  position."  The  truth  of  which  strong  remark 
any  officer  who  may  have  seen  at  that  period,  or  at  a  much 
later,  one  Spanish  battalion  in  movement,  (for  we  speak  not  of 
the  simple,  though  more  difficult,  combinations  of  brigade  and 
division,)  can  well  understand. 

The  supreme  junta,  which  had  entered  Madrid,  were  at  once 
pompous  and  weak  ;  prcsinnptuous  and  timid.  They  projected 
a  military  board  to  regulate  the  operations  of  their  armies,  and 


80  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

chose  Castanos  for  a  president,  his  seat  to  be  taken  "  when  thu 
enemy  was  driven  across  the  frontier."  While  they  vainly  con- 
sidered this  "  driving  across  the  frontier  "  to  be  the  certain  con- 
sequence of  the  effort,  by  no  foresight,  by  no  exertion,  did  they 
lay  the  foundation  of  such  a  result.  The  troops  were  naked, 
and  the  soldiers  left,  oftentimes  after  long  and  severe  marches, 
"  to  feed  upon  their  own  high  thoughts,"  a  diet  better  suited  to 
the  shadowy  and  lean  knight  of  La  Mancha  than  to  men  des- 
tined for  the  rude  shock  of  battle  with  the  grenadiers  of  France. 
To  crush  these  brave,  betrayed,  and  unhappy  levies,  was  the 
object  of  Napoleon.  We  transcribe  his  preparations  from  the 
pages  of  the  historian  Napier,  in  his  own  vigorous  language. 

"  Sudden  and  prompt  in  execution,  he  prepared  for  one  of 
those  gigantic  efforts  which  have  stamped  this  age  with  the 
greatness  of  antiquity. 

"  His  armies  were  scattered  over  Europe.  In  Italy,  in  Dal- 
matia,  on  the  Rhine,  the  Danube,  the  Elbe ;  in  Prussia,  Den- 
mark, Poland,  his  legions  were  to  be  found.  Over  that  vast 
extent,  above  500,000  disciplined  men  maintained  the  supremacy 
of  France.  From  those  bands  he  drew  the  imperial  guards,  the 
select  soldiers  of  the  warlike  nation  he  governed,  and  the  terror 
of  the  other  continental  troops.  The  veterans  of  Jena,  of  Aus- 
terlitz,  of  Friedland,  reduced  in  number,  but  of  confirmed  hardi- 
hood, were  collected  into  one  corps,  and  marched  towards  Spain. 
A  host  of  cavalry,  unequalled  for  enterprise  and  knowledge  of 
war,  were  also  directed  against  that  devoted  land,  and  a  long 
train  of  gallant  soldiers  followed,  until  200,000  men,  accustomed 
to  battle,  had  penetrated  the  gloomy  fastnesses  of  tlie  western 
Pyrenees.  40,000  men  of  inferior  reputation,  drawn  from  the 
interior  of  France,  from  Naples,  from  1'uscany,  and  from  Pied- 
mont, were  assembled  at  Perpignan.  The  march  of  this  multi- 
tude was  incessant;  and  as  they  passed  the  capital.  Napoleon, 
neglectful  of  nothing  which  could  excite  their  courage  and 
swell  their  military  pride,  addressed  to  them  one  of  those  nervous 
orations  that  shoot  like  fire  to  the  heart  of  a  real  soldier.  In  the 
tranquillity  of  peace  it  may  seem  inflated,  but  on  the  eve  of 
battle  it  is  thus  a  general  should  speak : — 

"  '  Soldiers !  after  triumphing  on  the  banks  of  the  Vistula 
and  the  Danube,  with  rapid  steps  you  have  passed  through  Ger- 
many. This  day,  without  a  moment  of  repose,  I  command  you 
to  traverse  France.  Soldiers !  I  have  need  of  you !  the  hideous 
presence  of  the  leopard  contaminates  the  Peninsula  of  Spain  and 
Portugal.  In  terror  he  must  fly  before  you.  I.>et  us  bear  our 
triumphal  eagles  to  the  pillars  of  Hercules ;  there  also  we  have 
injuries  to  avenge.  Soldiers !  you  have  surpassed  the  renown 
of  modern  armies,  but  have  you  yet  equalled  the  glory  of  those 
Romans,  who,  in  one  and  the  same  campaign,  were  victorious 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  81 

upon  the  Rhine  and  tlie  Euphrates,  in  Ulyria  and  upon  the  Ta- 
g\is  1  A  long  peace,  a  lasting  prosperity,  shall  be  the  reward  of 
your  labors.  A  real  Frenchman  could  not,  ought  not,  to  rest 
until  the  seas  are  free  and  open  to  all.  Soldiers !  all  tliat  you 
have  done,  all  that  you  will  do,  for  the  happiness  of  the  French 
people  and  for  my  glory,  shall  be  eternal  in  my  heart' 

♦'  Thus  saying,  he  caused  hSs  troops  to  proceed  to  the  frontiers 
of  Spain." 

There  was  a  campaign  in  Spain,  however,  before  the  emperor 
with  the  greater  part  of  these  forces  entered  that  country.  In 
the  latter  part  of  September  the  French  army  on  the  Ebro, 
having  received  some  reinforcements,  amounted  to  upwards  of 
90,00()  men  present  under  arms.  Three  Spanish  corps,  denomi- 
qated  the  armies  of  the  right,  the  centre,  and  the  left,  were  op- 
posed to  this  force.  They  amounted  in  all  to  75,000,  ill  armed 
and  ill  provided.  Palafox  commanded  that  of  the  right  on  the 
Arragon  river ;  Blake,  with  that  of  tlie  left,  was  posted  at  Rey- 
nosa,  near  the  sources  of  the  Ebro ;  Castanos  commanded  the 
army  of  the  centre. 

The  Spaniards  were  ill  posted.  Tliey  were  acting  without 
concert ;  their  wings  were  widely  separated  ;  and  eillier  flank 
was  exposed  to  the  attack  of  superior  numbers,  from  an  enemy 
quick  in  movement,  much  stronger  in  cavalry,  and  having  the 
chord  of  the  half  circle  for  their  line  of  operation.  Blake, 
with  the  army  of  the  left,  commenced  this  campaign,  by  break- 
ing up  from  Reynosa  on  the  17th  of  September.  His  object 
was  to  raise  the  provinces  of  Biscay  and  Guipuscoa.  One  of 
his  divisions  succeeded  in  penetrating  to  Bilbao;  but,  by  the 
great  force  and  rapid  combinations  of  tlie  enemy,  he  was  al- 
most immediately  compelled  to  retire.  On  the  il2th  of  Octo- 
ber Blake  again  attacked  Bilbao  with  1-5,000  men,  and  drove 
the  enemy  up  the  valley  of  Durango  as  far  as  Zomosa,  who 
being  there  reinforced  by  tlie  division  of  Verdier  checked  the 
pursuit.  On  the  9th  of  this  month  the  veteran  division  of 
Spanish  troops  from  the  Baltic  landed  at  St.  Andcr,  under  the 
marquis  of  Romana,  and  marched  to  join  the  army  of  Blaka 
The  Asturians  destined  to  act  with  tlie  army  of  the  left  halted 
at  Villarcayo,  and  Blake  held  the  position  at  tlie  head  of  that 
valley  between  Friaa  and  Valmaceda. 

The  columns  of  the  grand  army  destined  by  Napoleon  for 
the  subjugation  of  Spain  now  began  to  cover  the  road  from 
Bayonne  to  Vittoria.  During  the  quick  and  quiet  concentration 
of  tliose  mighty  forces,  Blake  was  never  di.sturl)f'd ;  Romana'a 
battalions  were  moving  up  slowly  to  Bilbao;  tlie  Estremadurana 
were  marcliing  upon  Burgos,  and,  animated  by  a  hope  which 
prudence  should  have  discouraged,  Blake  reaofved  to  advance 
and  attack  S^noaa,    He  took  with  him  17,000  men.    The 


82  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

French  general  Merlin  abandoned  the  town  on  the  24th,  and  on 
the  25tli  fell  back  to  Durango.  By  his  strange,  faulty,  and 
presumptuous  dispositions,  Blake  found  himself  with  this  half 
of  his  army  in  a  position  about  five  miles  beyond  Zornosa  on 
the  31st,  without  any  artillery,  in  the  presence  of  25,000  French 
led  by  the  duke  of  Dantzic.  He  could  not  resist  its  onset ;  he 
could  not  reply  to  its  artillery ;  his  troops,  soon  thrown  into  con- 
fusion, were  driven  (but  never  without  disputing  the  ground 
and  leaving  upon  it  pale  dead)  from  one  position  to  another,  and 
at  last  retired  in  haste  and  disorder  to  Bilbao.  The  next  day 
Blake  was  in  position  at  Nava,  behind  the  Salcedon.  On  the 
4th,  learning  the  danger  of  Acevedo's  division,  which  was  inter- 
cepted in  its  push  for  the  river  Salcedon  by  the  French  general 
VUlatte,  Blake  was  again  in  the  field,  and  had  a  severe  combat' 
with  Villatte,  who  retreated,  leaving  a  gun  and  much  baggage 
in  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards,  and  having  sustained  a  severe 
loss  of  men. 

Blake  now  once  more  resolved  to  attack  Bilbao,  and  to  at- 
tempt a  junction  with  Palafox  and  the  army  of  Arragon  in  the 
rear  of  the  French  forces, — a  wonderful  instance  of  obstinacy 
and  infatuation.  His  soldiers  were,  at  this  time,  bivouacking 
among  the  cold  mountains  without  cloaks,  without  shoes  or  san- 
dals, without  any  regular  supplies,  and  seldom  obtaining  a 
ration  of  bread,  wine,  or  spirits.  While  their  brave  but  blun- 
dering commander  was  leading  them  in  this  condition  towards 
Bilbao,  two  corps  of  French,  amounting  to  50,000  men,  were 
marching  upon  liis  front,  and  a  third,  having  turned  his  right, 
was  already  on  his  rear.  The  Spanish  general  fell  in  with  the 
advanced  guard  of  the  fourth  corps  of  the  French  army,  and 
had  a  warm  action  with  it ;  and  learning  here  more  of  the  ene- 
my's movements,  he  retired  two  marches  upon  Espinosa.  Here 
he  was  attacked  on  the  10th  by  the  corps  of  marshal  Victor. 
On  this  day  Romana's  infantry  was  beaten  from  its  ground  ;  but 
being  reinforced  by  another  division,  rallied  and  continued  the 
fight  with  spirit.  The  wood,  however,  and  the  ridge  of  hilla 
where  these  troops  were  engaged,  remained  at  night-fall  in  pos- 
session of  the  French.  The  Spanish  right  contended  with  more 
vigor  and  better  success,  and  were  gaining  ground,  when  dark- 
ness put  an  end  to  the  combat.  The  Spanish  generals  St.  Ro- 
man and  Riquielme  received  their  death-wounds  on  this  day. 
The  next  morning  Blake  was  again  attacked.  The  French  fell 
with  fresh  forces  upon  the  first  division  of  his  own  troops  and 
upon  the  Asturians.  The  rapid  succession  of  casualties  among 
the  generals  of  the  Asturian  brigades  (for  three  fell  at  the  very 
opening  of  the  battle)  was  fatally  confusing.  The  Asturians 
fled :  the  first  division  soon  gave  way  ;  and  the  centre  and  right, 
after  a  short  show  of  resistance,  being  seized  witli  the  contagious 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  83 

panic,  broke  and  hurried  across  the  Trueba  in  disordered 
crowds.  His  artillery  and  baggage  lost,  his  army  routed  and 
dispersed,  Blake  himself  reached  Reynosa  with  the  wreck  of 
his  force,  a  body  of  only  700()  men.  Numbers  were  slain,  num- 
bers made  prisoners :  among  these  last,  the  greater  part  of  Ro- 
mana's  troops,  who  were  sent  immediately  hito  France.  These 
men  being  already  familiar  witli  the  north  of  Europe,  not 
having  been  in  Spain  at  the  exciting  moment  when  the  patriots 
rose,  and  viewing  the  French  military  service  with  no  particular 
dislike,  enlisted  under  the  French  eagles,  and  were  marched 
northwards  again.  The  bulk  of  the  peasantry  of  the  late  levies 
threw  away  their  arms,  and  returned  to  their  homes  dishearten- 
ed and  desponding. 

Upon  the  13th  the  enemy  again  fell  upon  Blake :  he  received 
and  resisted  their  attack  with  courage,  and  made  good  his  re- 
treat with  5000  men  to  Arncdo,  in  the  mountains  of  Asturiaa 
Here  the  marquis  of  Romana  joined  him,  and  took  command 
of  the  brave  unfortunates  who  yet  rallied  around  the  patriot 
standards,  the  feeble  remnant  of  the  anny  of  the  left.  The 
Spanish  army*  of  the  conde  de  Belvedere,  amounting  to  11,000 
infantry,  1150  horse,  and  thirty  pieces  of  artillery,  and  encum- 
bered rather  than  assisted  by  7000  or  8000  armed  peasants 
without  any  organization  whatever,  was  attacked  and  over- 
thrown. Of  tliis  action  it  is  enough  to  say,  that  two  veteran 
divisions  of  French  infantry  were  in  the  field  under  the  gene- 
rals Mouton  and  Bonnet,  as  also  a  brigade  of  light  cavalry  vmder 
Lasalle,  and  all  the  heavy  cavalry  under  Bessieres.  2500  Span- 
iards were  slain,  twenty  guns,  six  pairs  of  colors,  and  900  men, 
were  taken  on  the  field.  There  was  present  in  this  battle  a 
battalion  of  students,  volunteers  from  the  universities  of  Sala- 
manca and  Leon.t  "  The  youths  whom  patriotism  had  brought 
to  the  field  could  not  be  frightened  from  it  by  danger.  They 
fell  in  their  ranks,  and  their  deaths  spread  mourning  tlirougn 
many  a  respectable  family  in  Spain."  Peace  to  them :  they 
are  gone  into  "  a  world  of  order." 

Napoleon  had  from  Vittoria  directed  all  these  grand  move- 
ments. The  remains  of  Belvedere's  army  rallied  in  tlie  pass  of 
Somosierra. 

The  army  of  the  centre  under  Castanos,  reduced  in  numbers 
and  ill  disciplined,  was  the  next  marked  for  destruction.  On 
the  heights  above  Tudela  this  army  was  drawn  up  for  battle, 
and,  of  course,  for  defeat     It  numbered  45,000  men,  with  up- 

•  Some  old  rpiriments  and  Roinp  Spanish  and  Walloon  innards  were  with 
thii  army,  but  lli<-y  had  none  of  tliem.  when  compared  to  the  troops  of  France, 
any  thing  that  dedcrrcs  tlx:  name  of  dixciplinc. 

t  Sir  Walter  Scott.    Life  of  Napoleon. 


84  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

wards  of  forty  guns,  and  occupied  a  position  on  a  range  of  low 
hills  ten  miles  in  extent ;  Tudela  forming  the  right,  Taranzona 
the  left  of  the  ground  they  had  chosen.  They  lay  in  sepa- 
rate bodies  witliout  intermediate  posts.  Marshal  Lasnes  ap- 
peared in  front  of  this  weakly-posted  force  on  the  morning  of 
the  23d  of  October  with  30,000  infantry,  5000  cavalry,  and  sixty 
pieces  of  artillery :  he  immediately  attacked  them.  The  Arra- 
gonese  upon  the  heights  above  Tudela  fought  so  stoutly  with 
the  division  of  general  Morlot,  as  to  check  and  force  it  back  at 
the  commencement  of  this  battle  ;  but  the  centre  of  this  long 
and  feeble  position  being  forced  by  general  Maurice  Mathieu, 
and  Lefebvre  following  him  witli  his  numerous  cavalry,  the 
right  was  turned,  disordered,  and  could  resist  no  longer.  Pala- 
fox  with  his  Arragonese  and  the  centre  made  for  Zaragoza  with 
all  speed.  The  three  divisions  at  Taranzona  had  not  been  en- 
gaged, when  La  Pefia,  who  had  behaved  most  handsomely,  was 
forced  back  upon  them  with  his  division.  All  four  began  to 
retire  in  tolerable  order,  but  the  enemy  v/ere  soon  on  them  with 
their  fire  and  with  cavalry :  a  tumbril  in  their  ranks  blew  up  : 
amid  the  confusio)i  and  cries  of  Treason  !  a  panic  spread  among 
them,  and  the  field  of  battle  was  on  all  sides  abandoned ;  thirty 
pieces  of  artillery,  and  8000  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners, 
remaining  with  the  French.  Luckily  15,000  got  clear  away  to 
Zaragoza ;  and  Castailos  himself  rallied  more  than  two  divisions 
at  Calatayud  on  the  second  day  after  the  battle.  The  heart  is 
sick  in  recording  successes,  that,  being  without  glory,  excite  no 
admiration,  and  defeats  wliich,  being  without  disgrace,  move 
neither  wonder  nor  indignation. 

The  only  barrier  now  between  Napoleon  and  Madrid  was  the 
pass  of  Somosierra;  and  a  small  encampment  at  Sepulveda 
covered  the  road  leading  to  Segovia.  At  this  last  post  the  Span- 
iards beat  back  the  French  who  attacked,  and  caused  them  an 
admitted  loss  of  fifty  or  sixty  men ;  but  after  the  affair,  being 
panic-struck,  they  abandoned  the  post  they  had  just  successfully 
defended,  and  fled  to  Segovia.  This  was  not  unaccountable : — 
the  truth  is,  they  had  been  so  often  deceived,  betrayed,  beaten  ; 
had  so  often,  in  the  moment  of  a  fancied  success,  found  their 
positions  turned,  and  their  commanders  out-manceuvred,  that 
their  confidence  in  every  thing,  but  their  own  individual  hearts 
and  arms,  when,  man  to  man,  tliey  could  actually  meet  their  foe 
at  no  real  or  suspected  disadvantage,  was  shaken;  that  this 
hour  they  would  fight  and  the  next  fly,  and  the  next  fight  again, 
as  their  confidence  in  present  circumstances  rose  or  fell.  To- 
day they  were  running,  terrified  like  cowards,  to-morrow  the 
very  same  men  were  fighting  like  heroes.  The  strong  pass  of 
the  Somosierra  was  held  by  10,000  men  under  general  St.  Juan. 
They  were  well  posted,  and  had   sixteen  pieces  of  artillery, 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  85 

commanding  and  sweeping  the  road,  which  ascended  the  moun- 
tain. Three  French  battalions  attacked  the  right,  three  the  left 
of  this  position,  and  a  strong  column  marched  along  the  road 
with  six  guns.  The  infantry  pushed  up  the  sides  of  the  moun- 
tain right  and  left,  keeping  up  a  hot  and  lively  fire.  The 
infantry  on  the  roa<l,  checked  by  the  Spanish  guns,  were  making 
little  progress:  a  thick  fog  and  the  smoke  of  the  fire  hung  upon 
the  ascent  Napoleon  was  present :  observing  this,  and  know- 
ing how  great  was  the  dread  that  in  all  the  late  battles  hia 
cavalry  h^  inspired  among  the  raw  and  unsteady  soldiers  of 
Spain,  he  directed  the  Polish  lancers  of  his  guard  to  charge  up 
the  causeway,  and  take  the  Spanish  artillery.  The  foremost 
squadron  lost  several  men  and  horses  by  the  first  fire  they  re- 
ceived, but,  rallied  by  their  commander  Krazinski,  covered  by 
the  smoke  and  fog,  and  in  part  by  the  ground  over  which  they 
moved,  they  rode  boldly  forwards,  came  upon  the  guns  sword 
in  hand,  and  seized  the  battery.  They  were  galled  a  little  as 
they  went  up  by  tiie  musketry  of  the  infantry,  posted  right  and 
left,  but  effected  this  gallant  exploit  with  a  dauntless  valor. 
Cavalry  upon  them  had  always,  hitherto,  been  the  signal  to  the 
Spaniards  that  they  were  already  turned,  and  to  be  sacrificed  to 
the  sabres  of  the  horsemen  in  their  confusion.  It  operated  even 
upon  this  strong  ground  just  as  it  had  elsewhere.  The  same 
aspect  of  things  brought  up  the  same  associations,  and  the  whole 
force  was  shamefully  beaten,  and  ran  away  at  the  wild  charge 
of  a  regiment  of  horse. 

Madrid  was  in  alarm  and  anarchy,  desirous  to  resist  but  inca- 
pable of  defence,  when  the  emperor  appeared  before  the  city, 
preceded  by  three  heavy  divisions  of  cavalry,  and  followed  by 
a  mass  of  infantry  and  a  numerous  artillery.  His  first  sum- 
mons of  tlie  city,  at  noon,  on  the  2d  of  December,  was  treated 
with  defiance.  His  second,  at  midnight,  had  no  better  success. 
The  French  infantry  now  carried  some  houses  by  assault :  a  bat- 
tery of  thirty  guns  opened  upon  the  Retire;  another  threw 
shells  from  the  opposite  quarter.  Villatte's  division  stormed 
the  Retire  the  next  morning,  carried  it,  and  established  them- 
selves in  all  the  advantageous  posts  near.  The  town  was  now 
summoned  a  third  time.  Morla  and  another  offic«r  came  out  to 
treat  He  returned  with  Napoleon's  decision — Madrid  must 
surrender  or  perisli.  The  poor  and  the  peasantry  would  still 
have  resisted,  and  the  firing  on  both  sides  still  continued.  At 
last  Morla  and  Castel  Franco  prepared  a  capitulation.  Castellar, 
the  captain-general,  refused  to  sign  it,  and  withdrew  with  his 
troops  and  guns,  (6()00,  and  sixteen  pieces  of  artillerj-,)  by  the 
side  of  the  place  not  then  invested.  Morla  was  neither  a  bravo 
nor  true  Spaniard  ;  but  whether  lie  conducted  the  surrender  of 
Madrid  treacherously  or  not,  the  city  could  not  have  resisted. 

Vol.  I.  H 


86  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

On  the  morning  of  the  fourth  it  surrendered.  Orders  were 
issued  by  Napoleon  to  preserve  the  strictest  discipline  among 
the  troops ;  and  a  soldier  of  his  own  guard  was  shot  in  the  great 
square  of  Madrid  for  plundering.  The  Spaniards  were  disarm- 
ed and  the  city  silenced.  Napoleon  now  exercised  all  the  right 
of  conquest.  A  body  of  nobles,  clergy,  and  the  public  authori- 
ties of  Madrid,  waited  on  him  at  Chamartin,  and  presented  an 
address.  To  this  he  replied  in  one  of  those  orations,  so  emi- 
nently characteristic  of  him.  There  was  a  deal  about  England ; 
and  among  other  matter,  a  promise  to  drive  the  English  armies 
from  the  Peninsula.  His  own,  at  this  period,  in  Spain  amount- 
ed to  330,000  infantry  and  60,000  horses,  200  pieces  of  field 
artillery,  and  an  immense  reserve.  Such  was  his  muster-roll, 
after  deducting  sick,  detachments,  garrisons,  and  posts  of  com- 
munication ;  and  after  providing  nearly  80,000  men  for  Catalonia 
and  the  siege  of  Zaragoza,  he  had  180,000  men  and  40,000 
horses  disposable  for  any  plan  of  operations  he  chose.  The 
Spanish  armies  were  already  overthrown :  a  few  thousand  men, 
in  the  most  wretched  order,  were  v^ith  the  duke  of  Infantado  at 
Cuenca.  Five  thousand  of  a  new  levy  were  in  the  passes  of 
the  Sierra  Morena.  Galluzzo  wtih  6000  men  had  just  been 
defeated  at  Almaraz,  and  driven  from  the  defence  of  the  Tagus. 
Romana  was  near  Leon  with  18,000  men,  of  whom  only  5000 
were  armed  at  all,  and  none  in  a  state  of  discipline  or  efficiency 
for  the  field. 

A  British  army,  numerically  feeble,  and  neither  supplied, 
supported,  or  informed,  was  the  only  hostile  body  of  true  soldiers 
still  in  the  field,  and  these  had  been  only  at  a  late  and  unhappy 
moment  brought  forward. 

The  English  ministers  tardUy  and  doubtingly  made  the  ven- 
ture of  an  effort  in  the  north  of  Spain.  That  which,  done  earlier, 
and  with  decision,  might  have  been,  at  least,  hopeful  in  its 
results,  if  not  brilliant,  directed  at  the  time  it  was,  no  talents 
and  no  courage  could  possibly  have  conducted  to  a  happy  con- 
clusion. 


CHAP.  X. 

THE   CAMPAIGN    OF   SIR   JOHN   MOORE. 

It  was  upon  the  6th  of  October  that  Sir  John  Moore  first 
received  the  order  of  the  English  ministers  to  enter  Spain. 

An  army  of  35,000  men  was  to  be  placed  under  his  command. 
Of  these,  25,000  were  to  be  immediately  taken  from  the  troops 
already  in  Portugal,  and  10,000  were  to  be  sent  from  England 
to  the  coast  of  Gallicia  direct. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  87 

In  twenty  days  from  the  receipt  of  his  instructions,  the  gene- 
ral had  completed  his  arrangements ;  the  columns  were  already 
on  their  march,  and  the  head-quarters  had  quitted  Lisbon.  When 
it  is  considered  that  supplies  and  transports  were  to  be  provided, 
equipments  completed,  the  corps  selected,  and  the  army  organ- 
ized anew  in  divisions  and  brigades,  and  all  this  in  Portugal 
and  among  the  Portuguese,  it  will  be  seen  that  nothing  but  the 
most  ardent  zeal  and  the  greatest  possible  exertion,  could  so 
soon  have  accomplished  this  important  object.  Had  the  like 
zeal  and  the  like  exertion,  informed  by  clear  views  and  directed 
to  great  aims,  been  manifested  at  home,  60,000  British  soldiers 
should  at  that  hour  have  been  descending  from  the  mountains 
of  Gallicia,  or  traversing  the  plains  of  Leon. 

With  the  main  body  of  his  army.  Sir  John  Moore  marched  to 
Salamanca  by  Almeida ;  and  it  being  reported  to  him  that  the 
roads  on  that  route  were  impracticable  for  artillery,  he  sent  his 
guns,  his  cavalry,  and  a  small  column  of  infantry,  under  Sir 
John  Hope,  by  the  valley  of  the  Tagus.  They  were  to  move  by 
Talavera  de  la  Reyna,  and  to  join  him  by  the  royal  road  which 
traverses  the  Guadarama  mountains.  He  afterwards  made  the 
mortifying  discovery,  by  personal  observation,  that  his  artillery 
could  have  accomplished  the  march  by  Almeida.  But  it  is  one 
of  the  trials  of  an  English  general,  that  a  good  military  survey 
of  the  intendetl  theatre  of  war  is  never  to  be  found  or  furnished 
fix)m  any  public  office  at  home.  England  has  no  department  or 
bureau  to  help  a  general  in  these  matters :  he  must  know  every 
thing,  and  do  every  thing,  unassisted ;  even  without  money  he 
must  provide  food  and  contentment,  and  see  botli  the  troops  and 
the  followers  of  his  army  in  long  arrear. 

Sir  John  Moore  entered  Salamanca  on  the  13th  of  November- 
Sir  David  Baird,  with  10,000  men,  was  moving  from  Corumia 
to  join  him ;  and  tlie  column  of  Sir  John  Hope  was  pursuing  its 
devious  route  with  the  same  object. 

The  23d  of  November  arrived  before  the  successive  divisions 
of  Sir  John's  own  corps  were  concentrated  at  Salamanca.  This 
army,  in  a  high  state  of  health  and  efficiency,  of  a  discipline 
not  often  surpassed,  and  of  a  spirit  to  be  daunted  by  no  enemy, 
arrived  upon  the  soil  of  Spain,  burning  with  desire  for  battle, 
and  in  all  the  confidence  of  victory.  They  enjoyed  for  a  while 
their  rest  in  Salamanca,  deeming  it  but  an  allowed  refreshment 
necessary  to  tlie  present  concentration  of  the  force,  with  a  view 
to  future  operations  in  the  field.  While  they  were  thus  joyous, 
careless,  and  full  of  hope,  their  leader  was  weighed  down  and 
oppressed  by  the  many  and  severe  perplexities  of  his  situation. 
No  plan  of  operations  had  been  given  him ;  and  such  informa- 
tion as  had  been  forwarded  with  liis  instructions  relative  to  the 
state  of  Spain,  and  of  her  armies,  he  soon  discovered  to  be  6Jse, 


88  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

In  a  few  points,  indeed,  it  had  been  founded  on  the  slender  sup- 
port of  a  little  truth ;  but  the  state  of  affairs,  never  one-tenth  so 
bright  or  promising  as  it  had  been  represented,  was  at  the  actual 
moment  changed  very  materially  for  the  worse.  He  had  come 
to  support  the  armies  of  Blake  and  Belvedere :  they  were  already 
destroyed.  He  had  come  expecting  to  find  a  people  of  one  heart 
and  will,  enthusiastic  in  their  own  cause,  and  full  of  all  the 
noble  energy  of  action : — he  foimd  a  people  in  the  plains  of 
Leon  impoverished  and  depressed. 

He  found  among  the  upper  classes  of  society  the  timid,  the 
interested,  and  the  vain ;  some  fearing  to  lose,  others  eager  to 
gam,  and  a  few,  and  those  miserably  qualified,  ambitious  to 
shine.  He  found  the  common  people  an  ungovernable  race  of 
wilful  men;  now  going  forth  to  fight,  and  now  dispersing  to 
their  homes,  just  as  the  caprice  of  the  hour  affected  them.  Ava- 
ricious dealers  and  contractors,  meddling  priests  and  petty  au- 
thorities, full  of  ignorance  and  trickery,  many  of  them  double- 
faced  intriguers,  were  not  wanting.  To  control  these  discordant 
elements,  there  was  not  one  leading  or  master  mind  in  the  whole 
kingdom,  nor  one  powerful  and  acknowledged  council  to  unite 
them  wisely,  either  in  fear  or  affection,  to  one  end.  Some  were 
distracted  by  the  duties  of  their  callings,  some  by  their  treasure 
or  their  faniilies ;  and  human  nature  was  exhibiting  itself  in  all 
those  strange  and  contradictory  varieties,  which  times  of  help- 
less trouble  and  bewildering  confusion  always  elicit. 

Sir  John  Moore  found  no  armies  to  support,  no  generals  with 
whom  to  concert  measures,  no  government  with  which  to  cor- 
respond, no  intelligence  on  which  he  could  rely :  in  addition  to 
these  perplexities,  he  was  witliout  magazines,  and  (thanks  to 
ministers)  without  money  in  the  military  chest  to  form  them. 

In  Leon  and  the  two  Castiles,  the  people,  though  patriotic  in 
heart,  were,  from  the  open  nature  of  their  country,  defenceless, 
and  had,  consequently,  less  activity,  because  they  had  no  chance 
of  effectually  protecting  tlieir  naked  villages  from  the  cavalry 
of  t!ie  enemy.  They  could,  and  did  furnish  men  to  the  armies 
in  the  field ;  tliey  gave  money ;  they  gave  prayers  for  Spain ; 
and,  when  the  cavalry  of  the  enemy  rode  into  their  open  market- 
places, tljey  yielded  up  their  corn  with  eyes  that  scowled,  and 
lips  that  closed  in  curses. 

The  general  found  himself  and  his  army  reproached  and  vili- 
fied by  the  ignorant  population  of  Salamanca  and  its  district. 
"  Why,"  said  they,  "  why  don't  you  advance,  and  fight  the 
French,  as  the  Spaniards  have  done  1 "  And  the  very  men  who 
fled  from  the  fields  in  which  their  armies  had  sustained  defeat, 
amid  the  mortifications  of  flight,  still  retaining  the  memory  of  a 
front  offered  to  the  foe,  and  of  a  short  though  vain  contention, 
held  the  same  tone  of  reproof.   They  had  witnessed  the  courage 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  80 

of  the  French  troops,  and  the  skill  of  the  French  generals,  and 
judged  that  the  English  were  held  in  inactivity  by  fear,  or  by  a 
secret  design  of  abandoning  the  cause  of  Spain- 

From  the  moment  that  the  eyes  of  Moore  were  opened  to 
the  actual  state  of  the  Spanish  people  in  these  provinces,  and  to 
the  fate  of  their  armies,  he  knew  that,  sooner  or  later,  retreat 
would  be  inevitable ;  and  his  judgment  told  him  that  the  line 
of  his  retreat  should  be  by  Ciudaxl  Rodrigo  upon  Portugal,  and 
that  to  effect  it  in  good  order  the  movement  should  no  longer  be 
delayed.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that,  having  deliberately  formed 
this  judgment,  he  did  not  at  once  act  upon  it.  He  might  have 
issued  a  proclamation  to  the  Spaniards,  declaring  to  tliem  the 
naked  truth,  concerning  the  fate  of  their  own  armies,  and  set- 
ting forth  the  wisdom  and  the  necessity  of  his  present  retreat, 
with  a  view  to  render  them  more  effectual  assistance  at  a  future 
period.  For  this  he  would  no  doubt  have  had  to  endure  a  storm 
of  reproaches,  furious  but  not  lasting ;  for  the  prudence  of  the 
wise  leader  is  never  long  confounded  with  the  irresolution  of  a 
weak  capacity,  or  the  timidity  of  a  failing  heart. 

Mr.  Frere,  the  English  minister,  was  his  only  medium  of 
communication  with  the  supreme  junta,  which  then  directed  the 
afiairs  of  Spain.  The  authority  of  this  junta  was  nowhere  ac- 
knowledged beyond  the  precincts  of  the  city  where  they  sat ; 
neither  was  it  deserving  of  any  influence,  seeing  the  little  which 
it  exercised  was  for  evil  and  not  for  good.  The  British  envoy, 
deceived  himself,  was  unconsciously  representing  matters  as 
they  were  not,  and  urging  movements  in  advance  as  a  duty ; 
while  the  prescient  mind  of  Moore  could  see  notliing  in  such  a 
course  but  disaster  and  destruction.  Never,  perhaps,  was  a 
general  placed  in  a  position  of  greater  difficulty,  or  in  circum- 
stances more  perplexing  and  harassing  to  a  noble  spirit. 

The  people  of  England  had  their  eyes  fixed  upon  him,  with 
expectations  of  a  nature  to  the  full  as  extravagant  as  those  of 
the  Spaniards  themselves ;  and  Sir  John  well  knew  that  an  ap- 
peal to  the  reason  of  excited  and  misjudging  enthusiasts  would 
be,  in  the  first  moment  of  disappointment,  vain.  He  had  al- 
ready found  it  so  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Frere  the  minister,  a  man 
of  wann  temperament  and  ardent  hopes,  but  of  utter  inexperi- 
ence in  all  mditary  afiairs.  Here,  wiiere  he  should  have  found 
the  solid  support  of  a  grave,  calm,  deliberative  wisdom,  he  was 
fretted  by  inconsiderate  proposals,  worrying  importunities,  and 
indelicate  remonstrances.  His  generous  spirit  was  overwhelmed ; 
and  his  harassed  and  unhappy  state  of  mind  is  tJuis  evidenced  in 
a  letter  to  his  brother: — "Pray  for  me,"  says  the  general, 
"that  I  may  make  right  decisions:  if  I  make  bad  ones,  it  will 
not  be  for  want  of  consideration."  He  at  one  moment  conceived 
the  heroic  notion  of  throwing  himself  into  the  heart  of  Spain, 
H2 


90  MlLITAr-Y  MEMOIRS  OF 

and  rallying  upon  his  small  army  that  of  Castaiios  and  the 
wrecks  of  that  of  Belvedere ;  but  this  course  became,  after  the 
battle  of  Tudela,  too  hazardous,  he  thought,  to  be  risked. 

Early  in  December  general  Sir  John  Hope-,  after  a  march,  the 
latter  part  of  which,  from  the  movements  of  the  French,  was 
rendered  difficult  and  insecure,  but  which  was  conducted  with 
a  most  happy  union  of  prudence  and  vigor,  reached  Alba  de- 
Tormes  in  safety.  An  intercepted  dispatch  from  Bcrthier  to 
Soult  first  acquainted  Sir  John  Moore  with  the  fall  of  Madrid  ; 
and  then  it  was  that  he  hastily  conceived  the  design  of  striking 
a  blow  at  the  corps  of  Soult,  which  lay  apart  and  exposed  at 
Saldanha  on  the  Carrion.  Sir  John  Moore  had  already  made 
a  forward  movement  to  cover  the  advance  of  his  stores,  and  the 
march  of  Sir  David  Baird  from  Astorga,  when  the  dispatch  al- 
luded to  was  brought  to  his  head-quarters  at  Alaejos,  on  the  14th 
of  December.  •  The  cavalry  of  lord  Paget  was  at  Toro,  witli 
two  brigades  of  infantry;  general  Hope  was  at  Torrecilla; 
general  Charles  Stewart's  cavalry  was  at  Rueda.  At  this  place 
a  squadron  of  the  18th  hussars  surprised  a  French  post  of  in- 
fantry and  horse,  on  the  night  of  the  12th  of  December.  Some 
were  sabred,  some  taken,  and  a  few  effected  their  escape. 

On  the  18th  the  British  head-quarters  were  at  Castro  Nuevo ; 
from  that  place  Sir  John  Moore  apprized  Romana  of  his  intend- 
ed movement  against  Soult,  and  requested  his  co-operation.  On 
the  20th  all  the  British  troops  were  concentrated — the  infantry 
at  Mayorga,  the  cavalry  at  Melgar  Abaxo.  This  arm  distin- 
guished itself  greatly  on  the  march.  They  skirmished  boldly 
with  the  enemy's  horse,  and  took  upwards  of  a  hundred  prison^ 
ers.  With  perfect  confidence  the  smallest  patrol  of  British 
cavalry  would  charge  a  body  double  its  strength.  The  total  of 
the  English  army,  as  now  united,  was  23,600  men,  with  sixty 
pieces  of  artillery.  Of  this  force  2278  were  cavalry.  Soult's 
corps  of  16,000  infantry  and  1200  horse  lay  upon  the  Carrion. 
Of  these,  more  than  12,000  could  be  readily  assembled  to  op- 
pose the  British :  the  main  body  of  foot  was  at  Saldanha,  and 
the  dragoons  of  general  Debelle  were  at  Sahagun.  Sir  John 
Moore,  who  well  knew  that  the  British  army  would  become  the 
immediate  object  of  the  emperor's  attention,  and  that  the  ene- 
my's masses  were  everywhere  in  motion,  and  would  doubtless 
be  directed  at  once  upon  his  communications,  felt  all  the  danger 
of  his  attempt.  But  it  was  a  solace  to  make  some  effort. 
He  relied  upon  his  own  ability  and  promptness,  and  marched 
forward. 

Upon  the  morning  of  the  21st  lord  Paget,  at  the  head  of  400 
of  the  15th  hussars,  came  in  presence  of  a  line  of  600  French , 
dragoons,  at  Sahagun,  and,  after  a  few  skilful  manoeuvres, 
charged  and  overthrew  them.     Many  were  sabred  on  the  spot,, 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELUNGTO>r.  91 

and  thirteen  officers  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  made  pris- 
oners. The  English  infantry  occupied  Sahagun.  Romana,  who 
had  only  6000  men,  and  those  in  a  miserable  condition,  remained 
at  Mansilla ;  nor  did  he  venture  to  advance.  Sir  Jolm  Moore 
was  forced  to  halt  the  22d  and  23d  for  his  supplies;  but  he 
planned  a  march  during  the  night  of  the  23d,  and  an  attack 
upon  the  French  troops  at  Saldanha  on  tlie  morning  of  the 
24th.  Alremly  in  the  chill  night  were  the  Englisli  columns  in 
motion  towards  the  Carrion,  warmed  and  cheered  by  the  promise 
of  battle,  when  such  intelligence  was  brought  to  tlie  general  of 
the  enemy's  movements  as  compelled  retreat. 

Napoleon  had  been  informed  of  Moore's  advance  on  the  21sL. 
On  the  evening  of  the  22d,  50,000  men,  under  his  immediate 
orders,  were  already  at  the  foot  of  the  Guadarama  pass.  The 
French  troops  at  Talavera  were  also  in  full  march  to  act  upon 
the  English  army.  It  was  only  by  twelve  hours  that  Moore 
saved  the  passage  of  the  Esla,  and  evaded  the  prompt  manoeu- 
vre whereby  Napoleon,  in  person,  had  hoped  to  intercept  him. 
The  retreat  to  this  point  was  conducted  in  masterly  order. 
General  Hope  moved  by  the  road  of  Mayorga ;  general  Baird 
by  that  of  Valencia  San  Juan.  Romana  engaged  to  hold  the 
bridge  of  Mansilla.  The  light  brigades  and  tlie  cavalry  re- 
mained to  the  very  last  at  Sahagun  ;  and,  to  cover  these  move- 
ments, patrols  of  British  horse  were  pushed  boldly  to  tlie  very 
lines  of  the  enemy.  The  column  of  general  Hope,  and  the  re- 
serve and  light  brigades,  under  the  commander-in-chief,  follow- 
ing in  succession,  crossed  tlie  bridge  of  Castro  Gonzalo  on  the 
26th.  On  the  same  day  general  Baird  passed  the  Esla,  at  Va- 
lencia, by  the  ferry  and  the  fords.  Lord  Paget,  just  as  he  had 
marched  through  Mayorga  with  the  rear-guard,  discovered  the 
advanced  horsemen  of  marshal  Ney's  corps.  A  body  of  them 
w^as  drawn  up  on  a  rising  ground  flankinnf  tlie  road,  and  ready 
to  act  upon  the  line  of  his  retreat.  He  directed  two  squadrons 
of  tlie  10th  upon  them.  At  the  head  of  his  brave  men,  colonel 
Leigh  spurred  up  the  hill,  and,  despite  the  vantage-ground  and 
their  great  superiority  of  numbers,  rode  in  upon  the  enemy, 
broke  them,  sabred  many,  and  took  a  hundred  prisoners.  From 
Mayorga  lord  Paget  marched  to  Bencvente.  On  tlie  27th  the 
bridge  of  Castro  Gfonzalo  was  destroyed.  The  communications 
with  Astorga  being  now  recovered.  Sir  John  Moore  lialtcd  the 
army  for  two  days  at  Benevente,  to  clear  out  his  magazines, 
after  which  he  continued  his  retreat  upon  Astorga.  For  the 
greater  part  of  liis  stores  he  could  procure  no  transport,  and 
tliey  were  destroyed.  Upon  the  29th  all  the  infantry  had  al- 
ready quitted  Benevente;  the  cavalry  alone  remained  in  the 
town,  having  their  pickets  ujwn  the  fine  plain  in  front  The 
fords  of  the  Esla  were  watched  by  these  parties.     Early  on  this 


93  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

morning  general  Lefebvre  Desnouettes  crossed  the  river  at  a 
ford  near  the  bridge,  with  six  hundred  horsemen  of  the  imperial 
guards,  and  advanced  upon  the  pickets.  They  retired,  steadily 
skirmishing,  till,  being  joined  by  a  small  party  of  the  third  Ger- 
man hussars,  they  repeatedly  charged  the  enemy  and  checked 
his  advance.  Colonel  Otway  commanded  these  pickets  till 
general  Charles  Stewart  took  charge  of  them.  Handsomely 
disputing  their  advance,  the  general  slowly  gave  ground  before 
the  French,  till  he  drew  them  well  forward  mto  the  plain.  Tlie 
10th  hussars  were  formed  quickly  by  lord  Paget  under  cover  of 
some  houses  near  the  town ;  and  when  the  favorable  moment 
arrived,  they  rode  out  smartly,  and  joining  the  pickets,  the  whole 
charged  with  such  vigor  that  the  imperial  guards  fled  at  speed 
to  the  fords,  and  re-crossed  the  river.  They  lost  from  fifty  to 
sixty  cut  down  on  the  field ;  seventy  prisoners,  including  their 
general ;  and  had  seventy  more  wounded,  who  escaped.  The 
loss  of  the  British  was  fifty.  It  is  said  that  Napoleon,  whose 
head-quarters  were  at  Valderas,  on  the  opposite  bank,  witnessed 
this  combat.  Soon  after  this  period  the  emperor  quitted  the 
army,  and  returned  to  France. 

From  the  moment  that  the  retreat  commenced,  discontent  and 
disorder  possessed  the  soldiers;  and  here  in  Benevente  their 
angry  devastations  began.  The  fine  castle  of  Benevente,  a 
stately  monument  of  the  age  of  chivalry, — of  such  spacious 
grandeur  as  to  afford  in  its  vast  halls  and  magnificent  galleries 
lodging  for  two  entire  regiments,  and  a  train  of  artillery  that 
stalled  its  horses  below, — was  rudely  dismantled  by  its  guests. 
Fires  were  lighted  on  its  tesselated  pavements,  and  blackened 
its  jasper  columns,  while  the  pictures  were  torn  down  from  the 
walls  of  its  rich  chambers,  and  heaped  as  fuel  upon  the  flames : 
and  as  the  soldiery  served  this  palace,  so  did  they  many  a  goodly 
mansion,  and  many  a  peaceful  cottage  on  their  route  to  the 
coast.  They  were  already  murmuring  and  disobedient;  they 
moved  along  the  weary  roads  dejected  and  sullen  ;  broke  their 
ranks  on  the  smallest  pretences;  and  their  looks  and  words 
were  alike  insubordinate.  Upon  entering  Astorga  they  found 
Romana's  troops,  who  had  just  been  driven  from  Mansilla  and 
Leon.  A  scene  of  confusion  arose.  Romana  had  promised  not 
to  cross  the  British  line  of  march ;  but  with  all  good-will,  and 
all  honest  intention,  Romana  had  no  power  to  keep  his  promises, 
whether  they  regarded  the  taking  part  in  hostile  operations,  or 
the  observing  of  separate  and  regular  lines  of  movement.  In 
common  with  Sir  John  Moore,  Romana  himself  had  been  left 
again  and  again  without  any  information,  or  deceived  by  false 
intelligence ;  like  him,  too,  he  had  suffered  all  those  inconve- 
niences and  obstructions  which  the  local  authorities  were  per- 
petually imposing.     He  had  been  often  compelled  to  counteract 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELUNGTON.  93 

by  force  the  frauds  and  the  evasions  of  the  rapacious  and  the 
interested.  The  picture  of  his  wretched  army  at  this  period  is 
thus  given  by  colonel  Jones : — 

"  The  soldiers  under  arms  little  exceeded  in  number  the  sick 
borne  on  cars  or  mules ;  and  as  they  slowly  passed  along,  ema- 
ciated and  enfeebled  by  disease,  tlie  procession  had  much  more 
the  appearance  of  an  ambulatory  hospital  in  need  of  an  escort, 
than  of  an  army  to  defend  the  country." 

From  Astorga  to  Lugo  the  English  line  of  march  was  a  scene 
of  great  suffering  and  incredible  disorder.  If  any  one  thing  had 
been  a  source  of  pride  to  Sir  John  Moore,  beyond  all  other,  it 
was  the  high,  tiie  unequalled  discipline  of  the  fine  army  which 
he  had  led  forward  into  Spain.  I'he  men  were  steady,  clean, 
and  obedient ;  robust,  hardy,  and  brave.  Discipline  had  now 
vanished ;  their  attachment  to  their  general  was  gone ;  their 
respect  sliaken.  The  length  of  the  marches,  the  severity  of  the 
weather,  and  the  wretched  state  of  the  roads, — here  mud,  there 
snow, — the  want  of  supplies,  and,  above  all,  the  dispiriting 
effect  of  a  retreat,  made  them  careless,  irregular,  and  insolent; 
they  quitted  their  ranks  in  search  of  food  and  liquor;  they 
plundered ;  they  wantonly  destroyed  property ;  they  broke  open 
stores  of  wine ;  they  drank  and  loitered,  and  lay  stupid  in  the 
road&  At  Bembibre  some  hundreds,  who  sallied  out  from  tlie 
plunderetl  wine-vaults  when  the  French  cavalry  appeared  be- 
fore it,  were  taken  or  sabred  on  the  road,  as  they  vainly  sought 
to  run,  staggering  after  the  rear-guard.  At  Villa  Franca  the 
soldiers  were  again  busy  at  the  work  of  plunder,  and  the  gene- 
ral caused  one  of  tlie  marauders  to  be  shot  as  an  example: 
moreover,  he  issued  the  severest  orders  to  the  army.  At  Calca- 
bellos  on  the  Guia  tliere  was  an  affair  between  the  British 
reserve  and  the  enemy's  advanced  guard,  consisting  of  six  or 
eight  squadrons.  Not  until  many  of  these  brave  horsemen  had 
fallen  under  the  fire  of  the  English  riflemen  were  they  sup- 
ported by  any  of  the  French  infantry ;  but  at  length  they  were 
strengthened  by  a  body  of  Voltigeurs.  In  tliis  combat  about 
two  or  tlirec  hundred  on  both  sides  were  killed  and  wounded. 
Among  tlie  first  slain  was  the  French  general  Colbert,  a  fine 
man,*  and  a  gallant  soldier,  whose  daring  valor  hr.d  been  so  con- 
spicuous as  to  attract  the  notice  and  atlmirntion  of  his  English 
foes.  His  name  was  of  great  note  in  his  own  army,  and  many 
a  battle-plain  in  Germany  had  seen  him  lead  up  into  tlie  hottest 
fire  the  decisive  charge.     In  this  petty  affair  he  fell. 

The  face  of  the  country  from  Villa  Franca  to  Lugo  is  moun- 
tainous and  rugged.    The  cavalry,  therefore,  preceded  the  in- 

*  He  was  a  man  of  «o  fine  a  form,  that  Canova  the  Kulptor  considered  him 
u  a  perfect  modrl. 


94  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

fiuitry,  by  ^vhom  they,  in  turn,  were  now  covered.  From  the 
commencement  of  the  campaign,  the  resolute  and  undaunted 
bearing  of  the  British  cavalry  had  been  an  honor  to  the  army. 
The  rear-guard  reached  Herrerias  on  the  5th  of  January;  and 
here  Sir  John  Moore  abandoned  the  intention  of  embarking  at 
Vigo,  and,  from  the  reports  of  his  engineers,  selected  Corunna, 
as  offermg  a  more  favorable  position  to  cover  his  embarkation. 

The  division  of  general  Baird  was  at  Nogales ;  those  of  gen- 
erals Hope  and  Fraser  near  Lugo  Sir  John  having  resolved  to 
rally  his  army  at  Lugo,  and  to  offer  battle  to  the  enemy,  sent  an 
order  to  the  leading  division  to  halt  at  that  place.  This  order 
was  carried  to  Sir  David  Baird  by  an  aide-de-camp.  That  gene- 
ral most  imprudently  forwarded  it  by  a  private  dragoon :  the 
man  got  drunk,  and  lost  the  dispatch.  In  consequence,  general 
Fraser's  division  had  a  severe  and  toilsome  march,  and  retraced 
tlieir  steps  by  a  painful  countermarcli,  an  operation  which  lost 
to  it  400  stragglers.  The  passage  of  the  bridge  at  Constantino,  a 
spot  which  offered  such  advantages  to  the  pursuing  enemy  that 
a  great  loss  had  been  anticipated,  was  most  skilfully  and  happily 
efiected  by  the  reserve  without  any.  General  Paget  with  two 
regiments  made  good  an  excellent  formation  on  the  other  side, 
and,  though  repeatedly  assailed  by  the  enemy,  held  his  ground 
firmly  till  nightfall.  On  the  7th  Sir  John  Moore  drew  up  his 
army  in  a  position  near  Lugo,  in  order  of  battle.  As  by  magic, 
tlie  organization  of  liis  disorderly  battalions  was  again  complete. 
Neither  severity  of  rebuke,  nor  even  the  example  of  a  summary 
execution,  had  hitherto  availed  to  clieck  the  wide  and  fearfiU 
insubordination  ;  but  when  it  was  known  that  the  colors  of  their 
regiments  were  planted  in  bivouac  on  a  line  of  battle,  to  the  joy 
and  the  pride  of  their  officers,  the  men  came  hurrying  to  the 
ranks ;  and  as  tliey  examined  their  locks,  fixed  their  flints,  and 
loosened  in  the  scabbards  those  bayonets  which  the  pouring 
rain  had  rusted  fast  in  the  sheaths,  they  again  looked  to  their 
officers  with  the  regard  of  a  ready  obedience  and  a  brave  de- 
votion. 

As  soon  as  marshal  Soult  arrived  before  the  British  position, 
he  made  a  strong  reconnaissance  first  on  the  English  centre 
with  four  guns  and  a  few  squadrons,  and  afterwards  upon  the 
left  witli  a  heavy  column  of  iiffantry  and  artillery.  From  the 
centre  he  was  driven  off  by  the  cannonade  of  fifteen  pieces, 
and  on  the  left  his  column,  after  pushing  in  the  British  outposts, 
was  charged  by  the  light  troops  under  the  immediate  direction 
of  Sir  John  Moore,  and  very  rudely  handled.  The  enemy  lost 
400  men.  Throughout  the  whole  of  the  8tli  the  two  armies  lay 
in  presence  of  each  other,  in  order  of  battle,  but  Soult  declined 
the  attack.  The  English  general,  satisfied  with  having  rallied 
his  own  troops,  and  brought  his  pursuers  to  a  stand,  decamped 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  05 

in  the  night,  and  continued  his  retreat,  leaving  the  fires  burning 
bright  upon  his  position,  to  deceive  the  enemy. 

In  silent  order  tlie  troops  retired,  commencing  their  march 
about  ten  o'clock ;  but  in  spite  of  all  the  precautions  taken  to 
mark  the  right  tracks,  which  led  from  the  different  parts  of  the 
position  to  the  high  road,  the  marks  were  destroyed  by  rain  and 
tempestuous  wind.  Two  divisions  were  completely  bewildered, 
and  were  still  near  Lugo  in  the  morning.  Fatigued,  depressed, 
and  foundered  for  want  of  shoes,  they  straggled  onwards  through 
the  mud,  chilled  by  a  falling  sleet ;  and  in  a  few  hours  the  firm 
battalions,  which  had  stood  in  position  the  day  before,  ready  and 
eager  for  battle,  were  a  mob  of  fugitives  and  marauders.  The 
reserve,  under  general  Edward  Paget,  was  the  only  body  which, 
throughout  this  long  and  disastrous  retreat,  maintained  its  dis- 
cipline and  efficiency — a  fact  signally  honorable  to  that  officer. 
In  justice,  however,  to  the  other  troops,  it  should  be  allowed, 
that  in  the  reserve,  the  minds  of  men  were  engaged  by  duties 
which  interested  and  animated  tliem ;  for,  as  the  rear-guard, 
they  were  constantly  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy. 

Between  Saliagun  and  Lugo  the  casualties  of  the  army,  in- 
cluding those  who  fell  in  action,  amounted  to  15()0.  The  loss 
of  men  between  Lugo  and  Betanzos  was  yet  more  considerable. 
Here  Sir  John  Moore  halted,  and  assembled  all  his  force.  Di»- 
cipline  was  again,  in  some  degree,  restored  by  great  exertions, 
and  the  columns  marched  from  hence  to  Corunna  in  very  tolera- 
ble order. 

As  soon  as  the  general  reached  Corunna,  where  tiie  transports 
had  not  yet  arrived,  he  made  all  the  necessary  dispositions  for 
covering  his  embarkation.  The  land-front  of  this  weak  fortress 
was  strengthened,  and  the  sea-face  was  dismantled.  In  all  the 
labor  of  these  preparations,  the  Spaniards  of  the  city  worked 
freely,  tendering  the  British  all  possible  assistance  witli  heart 
and  hand,  although  they  well  knew  the  object  and  end  of  our 
operations ;  an  act  of  itself  sufficient  to  stamp  the  character  of 
the  Spaniard  with  nobility. 

A  magazine  of  4000  barrels  of  powder,  upon  a  hill,  three 
miles  from  the  city,  was  fired  on  the  13th.  The  explosion  was 
terrific;  the  earth  trembled;  the  waters  were  agitated;  and 
every  body  stood,  for  a  short  and  awful  pause,  breathless  and 
grave. 

The  horses  of  the  cavalry  which  had  survived  the  march, 
were  brought  out  and  shot ;  for  the  ground  near  Corunna  not 
l)eing  practicable  for  tliat  ann,  they  could  not  have  been  used 
in  action ;  and  it  was  humanely  resolved  that  they  should  not 
be  left  in  their  miserable  plight  to  fresh  sufferings. 

The  assembling  of  the  French  army  in  his  front,  made  it 


96  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

necessary  for  Sir  John  Moore  to  select  a  position  on  which  to 
meet  them. 

On  the  evening  of  the  14th,  the  transports  from  Vigo  entere(- 
the  harbor,  and  the  embarkation  of  the  sick,  the  artillery,  ano 
the  dragoons  commenced ;  eight  British  and  four  Spanish  guns 
were  retained  on  shore. 

During  the  night  of  the  15th,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  16th, 
all  the  baggage  and  all  encumbrances  were  put  on  board  ship ; 
and  it  was  intended  to  withdraw  the  army  after  dark  that  even- 
ing. About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  French  beat  to 
arms,  and  prepared  to  attack  the  position  of  the  English.  Half 
a  league  from  Corunna,  the  English  army,  14,500  strong,  was 
drawn  up  on  a  low  range  of  hills ;  the  only  position  which  their 
numbers  and  their  object  allowed  them  to  occupy.  A  loftier 
range  of  rocky  heights  encircled  and  commanded  it  within  can- 
non-shot, and  on  these  the  French  had  already  taken  post. 

Marshal  Soult  had  20,000  men  under  arms.  From  the  lighter 
guns  along  his  front,  and  from  a  battery  of  heavier  calibre  on 
his  left,  he  opened  a  smart  cannonade,  and  under  cover  of  the 
fire  moved  down  in  three  weighty  columns  to  the  attack.  The 
first  of  these,  throwing  out  its  voltigeurs,  and  driving  in  the 
pickets,  attacked  the  British  right,  assailing  the  front  and  flank 
of  general  Baird's  division.  The  second  column  marched  upon 
the  British  centre.  The  third,  with  less  of  earnest  intention  in 
the  character  of  its  attack,  moved  upon  the  British  left,  where 
the  troops  were  commanded  by  Sir  John  Hope. 

Tlie  horse  of  the  commander-in-chief  stood  saddled  for  him 
to  visit  the  outposts  just  as  the  alarm  was  given.  He  rode 
thankfiil  to  the  field.  The  thunder  of  the  guns  and  the  rolling 
of  the  musketry  was  already  begun  as  he  galloped  to  the  sum- 
mons with  a  grave  joy. 

The  battle  was  most  furious  near  the  village  of  Elvina,  on 
the  British  right.  In  this  quarter  of  the  field  Sir  David  Baird 
was  severely  wounded ;  and  here,  while  earnestly  watching  the 
progress  of  the  stern  combat  in  Elvina,  Sir  John  Moore  himself 
was  struck  upon  the  left  breast  by  a  cannon-shot :  it  threw  him 
from  his  horse ;  but,  though  the  laceration  was  dreadful,  it  did 
not  deprive  him  of  his  mental  energy ;  he  sat  upon  the  ground, 
and  watched  the  battle.  His  eye  was  stedfast  and  intent,  and 
it  brightened  as  he  saw  that  all  went  bravely  and  well.  The 
soldiers  now  put  liim  in  a  blanket  to  carry  him  to  the  rear ;  as 
they  did  so,  the  hilt  of  his  sword  struck  upon  his  wound,  and 
caused  him  a  sudden  pang.  Captain  Hardinge  v/ould  have  taken 
oif  the  sword,  but  the  general  stopped  him,  saying,  "It  is  as 
well  as  it  is :  I  had  rather  it  should  go  out  of  the  field  with  me !" 
With  these  words  he  was  borne  from  the  battle.  It  was  a  long 
way  to  tlie  town,  and  the  torture  of  the  motion  was  great ;  but 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  97 

the  expression  of  his  countenance  was  calm  and  resolute,  and 
he  did  not  sigh.  Several  times  he  made  his  attendants  stop,  and 
turn  him  round,  that  he  might  gaze  upon  the  field  of  battle. 

After  he  was  laid  down  upon  a  couch  in  liis  lodgings,  the 
pain  of  his  wound  increased.  He  spoke  with  difficulty,  and  at 
intervals.  He  often  asked  how  the  battle  went ;  and  being  at 
last  told  that  the  enemy  were  defeated,  he  said  instantly,  "  It  is 
a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  know  that  we  have  beaten  the 
French."  He  was  firm  and  composed  to  the  last ;  once  only, 
when  speaking  of  his  mother,  he  betrayed  great  emotion. 
"  You  know,"  said  he,  to  his  old  friend  colonel  Anderson,  "  that 
I  always  wished  to  die  this  way ! "  The  bitter  agony  of  spirit 
which  he  had  long  endured  was  thus  mournfully  evidenced. 
"  I  hope,"  he  exclaimed,  "  the  people  of  England  will  be  satis- 
fied ! — I  hojx)  my  country  will  do  me  justice  ! "  These  precious 
sentences  were  among  the  last  he  uttered  ;  his  sufferings  were 
not  long ;  he  expired  with  the  hand  of  colonel  Anderson  pressed 
firmly  in  his  own. 

We  shall  not  further  describe  the  action  than  by  saying,  that 
when  darkness  put  an  end  to  the  work  of  battle,  not  only  had 
the  French  been  rej)ulsed  at  all  points,  but  the  line  of  the  Eng- 
lish was  considerably  advanced  beyond  the  origmal  position. 
The  loss  of  the  French  was,  by  their  own  admission,  3000 ;  that 
of  the  British  was  about  800  killed  and  wounded. 

The  brigade  of  general  Hill  and  that  of  general  Beresford 
remained  on  shore  the  17th,  to  cover  the  embarkation  of  the 
army,  which  began  soon  after  the  close  of  the  engagement. 
By  night  the  victorious  troops  filed  down  from  the  field  of  battle 
to  tlieir  boats,  and  embarked.  There  was  a  moon,  but  it  gave 
only  a  wan  and  feeble  light ;  for  tlie  weather  was  misty  and 
chill.  Soon  after  night-fall,  the  remauis  of  Sir  John  Moore 
were  quietly  interred  in  the  citadel  of  Corunna.  Soldiers  dug 
his  grave ;  soldiers  laid  him  in  the  earth.  He  was  buried  in 
his  military  cloak,  and  was  left  asleep,  and  alone,  upon  a  bastion 
— a  bed  of  honor  well  chosen  for  a  hero's  resting-place.  Tliia 
last  duty  done,  the  officers  of  his  personal  stJiflT  went  on  sliip- 
board,  "  in  soldiers'  sadness,  the  silent  mourning  of  men  who 
know  no  tears." 

Sir  John  Moore  had  signalized  his  name  in  the  West  Indies, 
in  Holland,  and  in  Egypt  His  life  was  spent  among  the  troops ; 
among  the  troops  he  died ;  and,  to  this  hour,  it  is  a  distinction 
to  any  officer  to  have  learned  his  duty  under  tlic  eye  and  the 
voice  of  Moore.  We  admire  Ins  character ;  wo  glory  in  his 
warrior-death ;  we  consider  his  fame  hallowed  by  his  end  ; — 
but  we  think  tliat,  with  the  deep  knowledge  of  human  nature 
he  possessed,  the  state  of  Spanish  society,  under  tlie  actual  cir- 
cumstances of  peril  and  bewilderment,  ought  not  to  have  sur- 

VOL.   I.  I 


98  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

prised  him,  far  less  to  have  irritated  him  to  the  extent  to  which 
it  certainly  did.  That  time  was  lost  at  Salamanca,  is  a  matter 
of  fact,  and  a  subject  of  regret.  The  value  of  a  day,  or  of  an 
hour,  in  war,  is  great.  It  is  vain  to  ask  what  might  have  been 
the  consequences  of  a  movement  into  the  heart  of  Spain, 
which  was  never  made,  and  which,  according  to  able  and  acute 
men,  never  should  have  been  contemplated ;  but  it  is  certain 
that  between  that  measure  and  a  retreat  on  Portugal,  Sir  John 
Moore  wavered  long  in  his  decisions.  War,  we  are  told,  and 
truly,  by  all  good  officers,  is  a  science ;  and  we  are  shown  how 
accurate  and  profound  are,  and  ought  to  be,  the  calculations  of 
a  commander ;  yet,  "  nothing  venture,  nothing  have,"  has  passed 
into  a  proverb  with  mankind. 

In  all  undertakings,  we  must  leave  something  in  a  state  too 
incomplete  to  command  the  certainty  of  success.  We  must 
exercise  our  trust  in  Providence,  whatever  be  our  aim  and  end ; 
for  "  the  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap,  the  whole  disposing  thereof  is 
of  the  Lord ; "  and,  undoubtedly,  with  a  righteous  cause,  we 
may  look  hopefully  for  help.  We  are  not  of  the  number  of 
those  who  dare  to  speak  lightly  of  the  spirit  of  Moore  ;  for  we 
know  the  help  of  Heaven  was  that  to  which  he  looked ;  and  we 
believe  that  it  was  an  act  of  conscientious  self-denial,  which 
made  him  hesitate  to  risk  the  lives  of  so  many  thousands  on  the 
desperate  hazards  of  a  chivalric  effort. 


CHAP.  XL 

CORUNNA  AND  FERROL  SURRENDER  TO  THE  FRENCH.  —  NOTICE  OF 
ROMANA. SOULT  MARCHES  TO  INVADE  PORTUGAL. HIS  OPERA- 
TIONS  ON   THE  FRONTIER. COMBATS  WITH  THE   SPANIARDS 

COMBATS  WITH  THE  PORTUGUESE. CAPTURE  OF  OPORTO. RE- 
TROSPECT OF  TRANSACTIONS  IN  PORTUGAL.  —  DEFEAT  OF  THE  SPAN- 
IARDS IN  LA  MANCHA. SECOND  SIEGE  AND  FALL  OF  ZARAGOZA. 

The  inhabitants  of  Corunna  maintained  their  weak  walls 
with  honor  and  good  faith  until  the  fleet  of  England  was  fairly 
at  sea. 

On  the  19th  of  January  they  formally  surrendered  the  place, 
and  the  French  took  possession.  With  the  means  found  here, 
Marshal  Soult  immediately  proceeded  to  the  attack  of  Ferrol,  a 
regular  fortress,  well  armed,  and  provided  with  a  sufficient  gar- 
rison. It  was  disgracefully  yielded  up  to  him  on  the  26th  of 
January.  The  helpless  and  indignant  citizens  were  betrayed 
by  their  chiefs ;  but  there  were  serious  commotions  in  the  city 
before  the  surrender  was  effected.    Aided  by  tlie  artillery,  the 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  99 

ammunition,  and  the  stores  of  Ferrol,  the  French  soon  overran 

Gallicia. 

.We  return  for  a  moment  to  that  period  of  the  English  retreat 
when  the  miserable  band  of  Romana  crossed  the  line  of  its 
march  at  Astorga.  In  the  woful  plight  already  described,  it 
was  led  by  its  noble  commander  towards  the  valleys  of  the  Syl 
and  the  Minho.  The  rear  division  of  these  sick  and  disorganized 
fugitives  was  cut  up  by  the  cavalry  of  general  Franceschi,  who 
had  been  directed  to  pursue  and  disperse  them.  Romana  placed 
Mendizabal  with  a  small  body  in  the  Val  des  Orres,  furnishing 
a  post,  at  the  strong  point  of  Puente  de  Bibey,  to  cover  the  ap- 
proaches to  Orense.  He  himself  collected  from  two  to  three 
thousand  men  at  Toabado,  about  twenty  miles  from  St.  Jago,  on 
the  15th  of  January.  The  position  of  Mendizabal  was  attacked 
and  carried  by  a  division  of  French  infantry  under  general 
Marchand  (detached  for  that  object  from  the  corps  of  Ney)  upon 
the  17th.  The  overthrow  and  dispersion  of  the  troops  with 
Mendizabal  completed  the  distresses  of  Romana.  Many  of  his 
men  now  threw  away  their  arms,  and  returned  to  their  homes. 
The  general  hunself,  with  his  few  and  faithful  cavalry,  and  such 
of  the  infantry  as  had  not  disbanded,  retired  to  Oimbra,  a  village 
on  the  frontier  of  Portugal  near  Monterey.  At  this  place  was 
a  small  magazine,  originally  collected  for  the  use  of  Sir  John 
Moore's  army.  Here,  therefore,  with  a  spirit  depressed  but  not 
subdued  by  disaster,  Romana  used  every  exertion  to  reassemble 
and  reorganize  a  division.  Here  it  was  that  Blake,  his  col- 
league, in  a  fit  of  surly  wilfulness,  deserted  him,  taking  away 
those  officers  who  were  his  own  more  immediate  followera 
Amid  all  these  vexations,  Romana,  with  a  buoyant  and  a  noble 
spirit,  still  manifested  zeal  and  hope,  and  continued  his  prepara- 
tions for  the  field. 

Upon  the  capture  of  Ferrol,  Soult  fixed  his  head-quarters  at 
St  Jago  de  Compostella,  repaired  his  equipments,  refreshed  his 
army,  and,  after  a  halt  of  only  six  days,  put  himself  again  in 
motion  on  the  1st  of  February,  to  march,  in  obedience  to  the 
orders  of  Napoleon,  upon  Oporto.  With  nineteen  thousand  in- 
fantry, four  thousand  horse,  and  fifty-eight  pieces  of  artillery, 
this  active  and  able  commander  moved  rapidly  to  the  Minho. 
This  river,  from  Melga^o  to  its  mouth,  is  the  line  of  the  frontier 
of  Portugal  in  that  quarter.  It  is  guarded  by  a  few  old  walled 
towns,  in  a  dilapidated  state,  to  which  fortresses  on  the  Spanish 
side,  of  like  strength  and  in  like  condition,  correspond.  These 
could  not  have  arrested  the  march  of  Soult  for  a  day ;  but  the 
river  itself  was  a  serious  obstacle.  It  was  broad  and  swollen, 
and  ruslied  along  rapid  in  its  wintry  strength.  All  the  boats 
had  been  removed,  and  the  peasantry  and  militia  of  Portugal 
were  in  arms  upon  the  southern  bank.     The  energy  and  uo 


100  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

ingenuity  of  the  French  were  here  exhibited  in  a  very  remark- 
able manner.  They  transported  some  large  boats  from  the  har- 
bor and  fort  of  Guardia  to  Campo  Saucos,  overland.  This  ope- 
ration they  effected  with  infinite  toil  and  labor ;  dragging  these 
boats,  and  also  some  heavy  guns,  by  the  help  of  rollers,  over  two 
miles  of  difficult  and  hilly  ground.  A  whole  division  of  the 
army  was  thus  employed  for  four  days. 

Soult  attempted  the  passage  of  the  Minho  on  the  15th.  In 
the  night,  300  soldiers  were  embarked ;  and  the  boats,  manned 
by  French  marines,  dropped  down  the  Tamuga  into  the  Minho ; 
but  they  did  not  succeed  in  crossing  before  the  dawn  of  day. 
The  moment  the  foremost  party  had  effected  a  landing,  the 
mUitia  and  peasantry  fell  upon  them  with  vigor,  and  they  were 
immediately  destroyed.  Those  who  remained  in  tlie  boats  in 
the  rear,  seeing  the  attempt  now  hopeless,  pulled  back ;  and  the 
French  army,  from  the  heights  on  the  Spanish  side,  where  they 
stood  in  array,  eager  to  cross,  and  from  which  their  own  cannon 
were  thundering  on  the  southern  bank,  saw  their  chosen  com- 
rades defeated  and  slain,  and  the  bold  project  of  their  general 
baffled.  Soult  now  changed  his  line  of  operations,  and  on  the 
18th  marched  up  to  the  river  towards  Ribidavia.  His  cavalry, 
keeping  the  bank  of  the  Minho,  was  galled  by  musketry  from 
the  opposite  side :  they  twice,  however,  broke  the  bands  of 
Spanish  peasantry  whom  they  encountered  in  their  front  as  they 
advanced,  and  they  burned  two  villages  on  their  route. 

A  body  of  800  Gallicians  attempted  to  check  the  French 
army,  by  disputing  the  passage  of  the  Morenta  and  the  Noguera, 
two  inconsiderable  rivers,  but  at  that  season  impassable.  The 
bridges  being  barricadoed,  the  cavalry  of  the  French  advanced 
guard  was  easily  repulsed  ;  but  on  the  following  morning  a 
brigade  of  infantry,  of  Heudelet's  division,  forced  the  passage, 
and,  driving  these  Gallicians  before  them  to  Ribidavia,  found 
a  body  of  10,000  peasants  posted  on  a  strong  hill  whicli  covered 
the  town.  As  soon  as  marshal  Soult  had  got  up  a  division  of 
infantry  and  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  he  drove  away  these  Spaniards. 
The  efficiency  and  the  organization  of  tliis  force  of  the  patriots 
may  be  judged  from  the  fact,  that  the  bodies  of  twenty  priests 
were  counted  among  the  dead.  There  had  been  a  brave  resist- 
ance, for  the  slain  were  numerous.  On  the  one  side,  priests  and 
peasants :  on  the  other,  a  marshal  of  France  and  the  conquerors 
of  Austerlitz.  All  these  aflairs  occurred  within  a  short  month 
afler  the  embarkation  of  the  British  at  Corunna. 

The  French  entered  Orense  on  the  19th,  and  seized  the 
bridge  over  the  Minbo.  Soult  made  Tuy  a  place  of  arms ;  left 
in  it  his  artillery  and  all  heavy  encumbrances;  appointed  a 
garrison  for  its  defence ;  and,  taking  sixteen  light  guns  and  six 
howitzers,  abandoned  for  the  time  all  communication  with  Gal- 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  101 

licia,  and  marched  against  Oporto.  The  province  of  Entre 
Minho  e  Douro  was  occupied  by  a  force  composed  principally 
of  ordenanzasr*  and  militia,  with  a  few  regulars,  all  of  a  fierce 
spirit,  but  without  order,  discipline,  or  confidence  in  their  chiefs. 
General  Freire  commanded  this  lawless  body,  and  had  his  head- 
quarters at  Braga.  In  the  province  of  Tras  os  Montes,  general 
Silveira  had  charge  of  a  smaller  force,  composed  of  the  same 
unmanageable  materials,  and  in  the  same  insubordinate  state. 
Romana,  having  again  about  9000  men  collected  round  him, 
occupied  Oimbra  and  Monterey.  The  head-quarters  of  Silveira 
were  at  Chaves.  These  two  generals  were  in  communication 
with  each  other,  and,  agreeing  to  act  in  concert,  they  formed  a 
first  line.  Their  combined  forces  amounted  to  about  16,000 
men,  and  their  line  extended  from  Monterey  to  near  Chaves,  a 
distance  of  fifteen  miles. 

The  second  line  was  held  by  general  Freire,  who  was  at 
Braga  with  fourteen  guns,  and  25,000  men.  Of  these,  only 
6000  were  armed  with  muskets:  pikes,  spears,  goads,  and  a 
few  old  fowlinof-pieces,  were  tlie  weapons  of  the  remainder. 
Baron  Eben,  a  German  in  the  English  ser\'ice,  commanding  the 
second  battalion  of  the  Lusitanian  legion,  was  associated  with 
Freire  in  this  charge.  The  third  line  was  an  intrenched  posi- 
tion, covering  Oporto,  and  occupied  by  the  mob  of  that  city,  by 
a  rude  levy  of  tJie  bishop's,  and  a  very  few  regular  troops — if, 
at  that  time,  any  troops  in  Portugal  could  be  so  designated. 

Soult  attacked  Romana  at  Monterey,  on  the  6th  of  Marcii, 
with  three  divisions  of  infantry  and  one  of  drtigoons.  The  Span- 
iards abandoned  their  positions  on  his  approach,  spiked  the  guns 
of  Monterey,  and,  after  a  short  skirmish,  retired  on  Puebla  de 
Sanabria.  They  were  so  closely  pressed  by  Franceschi,  that  a 
body  of  about  3000,  finding  itself  assailed  in  the  rear  by  the 
French  infantry,  and  headed  by  their  horsemen,  halted  on  some 
rough  ground,  and  formed  a  large  weak  square.  Against  each 
face  of  this  square  Franceschi  directed  a  regiment  of  cavalry : 
tlieir  charge  was  simultaneous;  the  dismayed  Spaniards  were 
immediately  broken,  trampled  down,  and  sabred  without  mercy. 
They  left  ujwn  the  fatal  spot  1200  dead. 

Romana,  with  his  main  body,  was  at  some  distance  when  this 
bloody  allair  took  place.  He  nastily  retired,  with  6000  men,  by 
Bragiinza  and  Puebla  de  Sanabria,  and  regained  the  valley  of 
the  Syl.  Meanwhile  Silveira  was  beaten  at  Villaza,  lost  his 
guns,  and  retreated  to  a  strong  position  behind  Chaves.  Three 
thousand  of  his  men,  disregarding  the  plans  and  orders  of  their 
chief,  threw  themselves  into  this  place.  On  the  13th,  after 
keeping  up  a  noisy  and  harmless  fire  for  two  days,  they  surren- 

*  Feaaantry  enrolksd  and  called  out  by  rcgulotion. 
12 


102  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

dered  it  to  the  French.  Marshal  Soult  made  it  a  place  of  arms ; 
established  his  hospital  in  that  town ;  and  then  proceeded  to 
Braga,  in  front  of  wliich  place  his  people  were  all  collected  on 
the  18th,  after  a  troublesome  and  disputed  marcli  througli  the 
long  and  difficult  defiles  of  Venda  Nova,  Ruivaens,  and  Sala- 
monde.  On  the  20th,  after  driving  from  their  strong  post  the 
tumultuous  and  savage  mob  which  had  just  murdered  their  poor 
general  Freire,  at  the  instigation  of  a  faction  hostile  to  that 
leader,  he  entered  Braga.  General  Franceschi,  pursuing  the 
fugitives  closely,  came  up  with  3000  Portuguese  at  Falperra. 
They  fought  hard,  but  were  beaten,  and  the  greater  part  of  them 
were  slain  on  the  spot.  In  the  combats  of  this  day  the  Portu- 
guese lost  all  their  artillery,  and  above  4000  men,  of  which 
number  only  400  were  made  prisoners. 

After  some  fierce  fighting  on  the  Ave,  the  French  effected 
the  passage  of  that  river,  and  were  concentrated  before  Oporto 
on  the  27th. 

In  the  intrenched  camp  in  front  of  this  city  were  40,000  men. 
The  hopes  of  the  people  were  extravagant ;  they  attributed  the 
defeat  of  Silveira,  and  that  of  the  force  at  Braga,  to  treachery. 
There  were  constant  tumults  in  Oporto,  and  many  worthy  but 
wretched  individuals  became  the  victims  of  a  blind  suspicion 
and  a  jealous  fury. 

The  mob  considered  their  intrenchments  impregnable :  their 
lines  were  armed  witli  200  pieces  of  cannon,  and  they  maimed 
the  works  with  all  the  alacrity  of  a  vain  and  secure  confi- 
dence. 

Soult  made  a  feint  upon  the  left  of  these  intrenchments  on 
the  evening  of  the  28th.  In  the  night  the  Portuguese  were 
disturbed  by  a  false  alarm ;  they  fancied  that  tlie  French  were 
advancing  to  the  assault :  they  rushed  to  their  guns,  and  opened 
a  tremendous  fire,  which  they  kept  up  with  little  intermission 
till  near  day,  when,  instead  of  a  field  of  slain  and  wounded,  and 
the  aspect  of  discomfiture,  they  beheld  three  dark  and  steady 
columns  of  attack.  The  French  stormed  these  formidable  lines, 
and  carried  tlie  intrenchments,  all  the  redoubts,  and  the  guns, 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Two  battalions  broke  through  the 
barriers  of  the  city,  poured  into  the  streets,  and  penetrated  to 
the  bridge,  driving  before  them  a  terrified  and  helpless  crowd 
of  men,  women,  and  children.  These  unhappy  fugitives  rushed 
wildly  on  the  bridge.  The  nearest  boats  gave  way  to  the  pres- 
sure, and  simk  with  their  wretched  burden.  The  cries  of  these 
poor  creatures  were  stifled  by  the  waters ;  and  the  spectacle 
was  so  fearful,  that  the  Frenchmen  in  pursuit  paused  in  the 
work  of  death,  and  exerted  themselves  to  save  as  many  as  they 
could.  In  other  parts  of  the  city  the  carnage  was  terrible. 
Two  hundred  Portuguese  took  post  in  the  palace  of  the  bishop. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELXINGTON.  103 

and  made  an  effort  to  defend  it.  Tliey  were  all  put  to  the 
evvord.  I^ong  after  resistance  ceased,  the  shrieks  of  women, 
and  the  cries  with  which  the  murdered  die,  might  be  heard  in 
every  street  It  is  computed  that  in  the  battle  and  in  the  city 
no  fewer  than  10,000  of  the  Portuguese  were  slain  The  exer- 
tions of  Soult  and  of  his  officers,  and  of  the  more  generous  and 
compassionate  of  his  men,  to  stop  the  slaughter,  were  great; 
but  the  soldiery,  liarassed  by  their  late  toils,  and  exasperated  by 
the  cruel  fate  of  such  of  tlieir  comrades  as  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  peasants,  gave  no  quarter,  made  no  distuictions, 
but  glutted  their  appetite  for  vengeance.  The  wliole  of  this 
campaign  only  cost  the  French  1000  men  ;  of  these,  500  fell  at 
the  assault  of  Oporto.  But  while  the  French  marshal  had  ac- 
complished the  object  of  Jiis  march,  by  the  capture  of  this  city 
and  by  the  dispersion  of  all  tlie  Portuguese  forces  that  had  ven- 
tured to  oppose  a  front  to  his  advance,  Silveira  witli  fresii  rein- 
forcements had  gathered  about  the  walls  of  Chaves,  and  the 
small  garrison  which  Soult  had  left  there,  together  with  1200 
sick,  had  surrendered  to  that  active  and  patriotic  leader. 

We  must  here  take  a  review  of  the  transactions  in  Portugal 
from  tlie  moment  of  Sir  John  Moore's  advance  into  Spain.  We 
shall  notice  with  brevity  those  struggles  and  reverses  of  the 
Spaniards  in  various  places  which  were  simultaneous  with  the 
retreat  of  Sir  John  Moore,  and  with  the  periods  immediately 
subsequent  to  that  event ;  after  which  we  shall  hasten  to  the 
subject  of  the  present  memoir,  who,  within  seven  days  of  his 
landing  at  Lisbon,  was  on  horseback  for  the  Douro. 

After  the  convention  of  Cintra,  the  regency  of  Portugal  was 
established.  The  frontier  fortresses  were  garrisoned  by  tlie 
English,  and  two  British  regiments  were  sent  to  Oporto.  This 
last  place  was  in  a  very  unsettled  state.  Owing  to  the  bishop's 
faction,  the  public  mind  tliroughout  the  whole  land  was  more  or 
less  disturbed  ;  nor  was  there  wanting  a  French  faction  at  Lis- 
bon to  stir  the  trouble.  Nevertheless,  the  people  in  general, 
regarding  England  as  the  old  and  faithful  ally  of  their  country, 
felt  no  jealousy  of  British  influence;  acknowledged  the  regency; 
and  openly  expressed  tlieir  desire  for  the  guidance  of  British 
leaders  and  the  assistance  of  British  troops. 

While  the  ill-timed  court  of  inquiry  detained  Sir  Arthur 
Wellesley  at  home,  and  wiiile  Sir  John  Moore  was  on  the  plains 
of  Leon,  Sir  John  Cradock  was  charged  witli  the  command  in 
Portugal,  and  proceeded  to  that  country.  On  reaching  Oporto, 
he  found  the  faction  of  the  bisliop  busy  with  intrigue,  and  the 
people  of  tliat  city  ready  for  any  work  of  violence  or  blood 
to  which  tlie  promoters  of  discord  might  desire  to  excite  them. 
Sir  John  Cradock  had  touclied  at  Corunna  in  passing ;  and, 
having  found  the  Lavinia  frigate  there  witli  treasure  to  the 


104  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

amount  of  1,500,000  dollars,  had  brought  away  800,000,  pro- 
posing to  leave  some  at  Oporto,  and  to  take  the  remainder  to 
Lisbon,  that  Moore,  whose  intention  to  retreat  upon  Portugal 
was  then  known,  might  not  want  money  for  his  troops. 

A  body  of  thirteen  hundred  men  had  been  organized  at 
Oporto  by  Sir  Robert  Wilson,  under  the  title  of  the  Lusitanian 
Legion.  Of  this  force  the  regency  was  jealous,  because  the 
formation  of  it  was  originally  a  project  of  the  bishop's  faction. 
Sir  John  Cradcek  left  300,000  dollars  at  Oporto;  directed  the 
two  British  regiments  in  that  province  to  march  to  Almeida ; 
and,  advisinff  Sir  Robert  Wilson  to  move  into  Tras  os  Montes 
with  his  legion,  in  accordance  with  the  desire  of  the  regency 
to  assemble  a  force  in  tliat  province,  he  departed  for  Lisbon. 
Sir  Robert  Wilson,  however,  preferred  another  course,  and 
marched  to  Almeida. 

The  regular  army  of  Portugal  at  this  period  amounted  to  a 
force  of  twenty  thousand  nominally,  but  only  ten  thousand  of 
them  had  arms.  They  had  no  discipline,  and  no  officers ;  and 
the  militia  and  ordenanza  were  but  a  violent  and  unruly  rabble. 
The  English  troops  scattered  over  the  kingdom  did  not  amount 
to  ten  thousand  men,  including  the  sick.  Of  thirteen  battalions 
four  were  in  the  north,  two  at  Abrantes,  one  in  Elvas,  and  six 
at  Lisbon.  Of  the  four  battalions  in  the  north.  Sir  John  Cradock 
appointed  three  to  reinforce  Sir  John  Moore ;  and  two  battalions 
from  the  south  were  directed  to  advance  by  Castcllo  Branco 
and  Ciudad  Rodrigo  with  the  same  object.  He  was  now  to  pro- 
vide for  the  frontier  of  Portugal  on  the  line  of  the  Tagus ;  and 
this,  at  a  time  when  the  fourth  French  corps  had  just  passed 
tliat  river  at  Almaraz,  and  menaced  Badajos.  To  effect  this 
object,  he  had  only  seven  battalions  of  infantry  and  three  hun- 
dred horse.  At  this  moment  Mr.  Frero,  the  central  junta,  the 
junta  of  Badajos,  and  the  regency  of  Portugal,  were  pressing 
Sir  John  Cradock  to  march  into  the  south  of  Spain.  As  soon, 
however,  as  the  communication  with  Sir  John  Moore  was  cut 
off,  as  it  was  towards  the  end  of  December,  Cradock  halted  the 
British,  proceeding  under  general  Richard  Stewart  to  reinforce 
Moore  at  Castello  Branco.  He  also  sent  instructions  to  general 
Cameron  at  Almeida  to  collect  the  convalescents  of  Moore's 
army ;  to  unite  them  with  the  two  British  battalions  there ;  and, 
if  possible,  to  make  his  way  to  the  army  in  Spain  ;  but,  if  he 
judged  the  hazard  too  great,  to  retui-n  to  Lisbon :  in  either  case, 
to  send  his  stores  and  sick  to  Oporto. 

Sir  John  Cradock,  feeling  no  confidence  either  in  the  troops 
or  the  government  of  Portugal,  directed  general  Stewart  to  de- 
stroy the  bridges  of  Villa  Velha  and  Abrantes,  and  to  retire 
upon  Sacavem,  a  position  near  Lisbon,  in  which  he  had  resolved 
to  concentrate  his  troops,  and  which  he  proposed  to  defend  as 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON,  105 

long  as  possible.  At  this  period,  when  a  column  of  infantry 
and  two  thousand  horse, — ^the  advanced  guard  of  the  fourth 
corps  of  the  French  army, — and  when,  in  fact,  thirty  thousand 
Frenchmen  were  in  full  march  for  Lisbon,  the  advance  of  Sir 
John  Moore  caused  Napoleon  to  arrest  the  movement  of  the 
fourth  corps,  and  Portugal  was  relieved  from  all  present  fear  of 
invasion.  In  the  north,  general  Cameron  made  an  effort  to  join 
Sir  John  Moore  by  the  Tras  os  Montes ;  but,  hearing  of  the 
retreat  to  CJorunna,  he  halted  on  the  9th  of  January,  and  would 
have  marched  back  to  Almeida.  The  troops  of  the  French 
general  Lapisse  were,  however,  already  at  Zamora.  He  now 
retired  to  Lamego,  and  wrote  to  Sir  Robert  Wilson,  whom  he 
had  left  at  Almeida,  recommending  him  to  retreat  upon  the 
same  placa;  but  Wilson,  rejoicing,  amid  these  scenes  of  con- 
fusion, in  a  command  that  was  entirely  independent,  held  his 
ground  upon  the  frontier,  and  exhibited  such  enterprise  and  ac- 
tivity in  the  neighborliood  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  that  he  aroused 
the  sinking  spirits  of  all  around,  and,  gathering  about  him 
Spanish  reinforcements,  the  peasantrj'  of  Portugal  and  the 
straggling  convalescents  of  the  army  of  Moore,  he  rendered  a 
service  at  the  moment  invaluable. 

The  regency  of  Portugal  having  promised  Sir  John  Cradock 
to  assemble  native  troops  at  Thomar,  Abrantes,  and  Villa  Velha, 
he  halted  the  brigade  of  Stewart  at  Santarcm ;  a  British  regi- 
ment still  remained  at  Elvas. 

We  turn  now  towards  Spain.  The  central  junta  which  had 
retired  hastily  to  Seville,  when  the  line  of  the  Tagus  was 
menaced,  being  urged  by  Mr.  Frere  to  order  some  movement  of 
the  Spanish  troops,  whereby  a  diversion  might  be  caused  of  the 
French  forces  pressing  upon  the  army  of  Moore,  directed  the 
duke  del  Infantado,  who  commanded  a  levy  of  nearly  20,000 
men  at  Cuenca,  to  advance  against  the  enemy.  A  levy  of  5000 
men,  under  the  marquis  del  Palacio  at  Carolina,  was  to  move 
forwards  at  the  same  moment.  Infantado  advancing  by  Ocana 
and  Aranjuez,  and  uniting  this  division  with  his  own  force,  was 
to  push  for  Madrid.  The  condition  of  his  army  was  deplorable. 
A  large  proportion  was  without  arms,  a  still  larger  without 
clothing:  they  were  without  pay,  and  they  had  no  discipline. 
The  military  art  was,  of  a  truth,  either  unknown  or  forgotten  : 
what  little  system  they  had  either  of  organization,  interior 
economy,  or  field  discipline,  was  out  of  date  ;  and,  in  as  fiir  as 
it  haih  engaged  their  prejudices,  stood  greatly  in  the  way  of  their 
improvomont.  In  martial  qualities  Uie  Spanish  soldiers  were 
not  (leliciont:  they  were  hardy,  patient  under  privation,  en- 
during of  fatigue,  abstemious,  and  sober ;  and  they  marched 
with  readiness  into  battle,  and  tliat,  too,  after  much  and  sad  ex« 
perjence  of  defeat 


106  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

The  duke  del  Infantado,  projecting  a  movement  on  Toledo, 
quitted  Cuenca  on  the  10th  of  January,  and  reached  Horcajada 
on  the  12th,  with  10,000  men ;  Venegas,  with  the  remainder  of 
his  army,  was  at  Tarancon.  This  last  officer  with  general 
Senra  had  been  detached  from  Cuenca  some  time  previously,  to 
surprise  the  French  cavalry  at  Aranjuez  and  Tarancon :  in  this 
object  they  had  totally  failed ;  Senra  had  halted  at  Horcajada 
without  fulfilling  his  part  in  the  operation ;  and  Venegas,  instead 
of  surprising  the  enemy,  was  himself  surprised :  however,  the 
enemy  had  retired  immediately  afterwards,  and  left  him  in  Ta- 
rancon. On  the  13th,  Infantado  marched  onwards  to  Carascoza, 
and  was  met  by  the  fugitives  from  the  division  of  Venegas,  who 
told  him  of  their  disaster  at  Ucles.  On  that  morning,  Victor, 
with  a  division  of  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery,  had  found 
Venegas  unexpectedly  at  Ucles,  had  fallen  upon  him,  and  driven 
him  in  confusion  towards  Alcazar;  here  Ruffin's  division  had 
already  artived  by  mistake  and  not  design.  The  Spaniards 
were  thus  intercepted  in  their  retreat,  and  routed.  Some  laid 
down  their  arms,  some  dispersed ;  only  one  small  body,  under 
general  Giron,  made  good  its  passage  by  the  road  of  Carascoza, 
and  rejoined  the  duke  del  Infantado.  Many  of  the  Spaniards 
fled  wildly  across  the  fields ;  and,  of  two  bodies  which  attempted 
to  preserve  a  formation,  one  coming  upon  the  French  park  of 
artillery  was  received  with  grape,  and  the  other  fell  in  witli 
Victor,  by  whom  they  had  been  already  beaten  earlier  in  the 
day.  Their  discomfiture  and  destruction  were  completed.  The 
prisoners  taken  in  this  confused  business  were  marched  to  Mad- 
rid ;  and  such  as  fell  out  from  fatigue  and  exhaustion  were  shot 
by  the  way-side.  The  old  town  of  Ucles  was  plundered  with 
the  aggravation  of  many  circumstances  of  galling  insult ;  and 
those  violent  and  barbarous  tilings  were  done,  of  which  the 
baser  part  of  mankind,  when  excited  to  havoc,  are  always 
guilty ;  no  doul)t  to  tlie  horror  and  shame  not  only  of  the  officers 
but  of  the  greater  part  of  the  French  soldiers  themselves. 

From  La  Mancha  we  pass  to  Arragon  ;  there,  after  the  defeat 
of  Tudela,  tlie  first  object  of  the  French  was  the  reduction  of 
Zaragoza.  Their  preparations  were  proportioned  to  the  import- 
ance of  that  object ;  and  those  of  the  Zaragozans  to  defend  their 
city  were  the  utmost  that  the  resolute  energy  of  a  people  taught 
by  experience,  and  now  assisted  by  scientific  officers,  could  pos- 
sibly effect :  they  were  ready  to  sacrifice  property,  to  pull  down 
their  dwellings,  to  make  the  convents,  forts,  and  the  churches, 
barracks.  The  streets  were  barricadoed  and  intrenched :  every 
strong  building  was  fortified ;  the  doors  and  windows  of  private 
houses  were  built  up,  and  the  whole  front  of  them  pierced  with 
loop-holes.  The  people  gave  themselves  and  all  they  possessed 
to  the  v.ar.     The  jwpulation  was  one  vast  garrison,  and  the 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  107 

"  city  was  all  fortress."  Even  the  women  were  regularly  en- 
rolled in  companies  to  serve  the  sick,  and  to  aid  the  combatants 
in  those  many  ways  in  which  the  help  of  woman  is  not  only  the 
sweetest  succor  but  the  most  powerful  encouragement.  The 
bread  which  they  brought  had  a  strengthening  nourishment  for 
the  heart ;  and  the  cartridges  which  they  distributed  carried  a 
charm  to  make  steady  the  aim  of  the  husband  and  the  father. 
The  countess  Burita,  a  lady  most  feminine  in  person,  and  most 
heroic  in  heart,  commanded  tliese  devoted  females. 

The  inhabitants  themselves,  all  combatants,  were  supported 
by  a  garrison  of  '30,000  troops.  A  body  of  excavators,  formerly 
employed  on  the  canal,  were  enrolled  as  sappers  and  miners 
there  was  a  strong  force  of  cannoneers ;  and  thirteen  officers  of 
engineers  superintended  the  many  and  vast  works  which  had 
been  constructed  as  the  regular  external  defences  of  the  city. 

With  only  35,000  men  the  French  advanced  to  the  siege  of 
Zaragoza,  while  certainly  not  fewer  than  50,000  men,  willing 
to  fight  and  die  in  its  defence,  lay  reatly  within  its  walls ;  but  it 
must  be  remembered,  again,  that  these  35,000  were  the  con- 
querors of  all  those  warlike  troops  in  Germany  and  the  north  of 
Europe,  of  whose  discipline  and  prowess  the  page  of  modem 
history  is  full. 

The  marshals  Moncey  and  Mortier  (and  afterwards  Lasnes) 
were  intrusted  with  the  reduction  of  this  important  place.  The 
French  sat  down  before  it  on  tlie  20th  of  December,  attacked 
the  Monte  Torrero  the  next  morning,  and  penetrated  by  a  sud- 
den assault  into  the  suburb.  The  Torrero  was  carried ;  but  the 
attack  of  the  suburb,  not  being  simultaneous  with  tiiat  on  tlic 
fort,  signally  failed. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  Zaragoza  was  completely  invested 
on  both  sides  of  the  river.  General  Lacoste,  a  chief  of  the  corps 
de  Genie,  and  aide-de-camp  of  the  emperor,  directed  tlie  siege. 
In  the  progress  of  it,  this  distinguished  officer  was  slain.  The 
description  of  it  we  shall  not  attempt,  because  we  cannot  aflTord 
space  to  detail  tlie  heroic  story.  It  has  many  times  been  told  ; 
nor  does  the  relation  of  it  belong  ftirtlicr  to  this  memoir,  than  as 
it  is  important  to  mark  throughout  the  vviiole  work  what  and 
how  great  were  the  efforts  of  the  Spaniards  themselves  in  work- 
ing out  that  deliverance  for  their  country,  which,  but  for  the 
genius  of  Wellington  and  the  prowess  of  British  soldiers,  had, 
perhaps,  never  been  effected  at  all,  or  only,  after  very  long  and 
sad  sufferings,  by  a  course  of  sullen  and  universal  but  ill-com- 
bined resistance.  The  trenches  against  Zaragoza  were  opened 
on  the  night  of  the  29th  of  December,  but  the  French  did  not 
obtain  possession  of  its  sacred  ruins  till  the  21st  of  February. 
liOng  after  the  walls  of  Zaragoza  fell,  the  city  itself  resisted. 
The  stem  contest  was  continued  from  street  to  street,  and  from 


108  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

house  to  house.  In  vault  and  cellar,  on  balcony  and  in  chamber, 
the  deadly  warfare  was  waged  without  any  intermission.  By 
the  slow  and  sure  process  of  the  mine  the  assailants  worked 
their  terrific  path,  and  daily  explosions  told  loudly  of  their 
onward  way.  Meantime  the  bombardment  was  fierce  and  con- 
stant, and  the  fighting  incessant.  Every  house  was  a  post :  the 
crash  of  falling  buildings  was  continual.  Three  thousand  pounds 
of  powder  were  placed  beneath  the  University,  and  with  a  dire 
explosion  the  once  peaceful  building  fell.  While  the  struggle 
was  yet  fierce  and  alive,  came  pestilence  into  those  vaults  and 
cellars  where  the  aged,  and  the  women  and  the  children,  lay 
sheltered  from  the  storm  of  shells.  They  sickened  in  vast  num- 
bers, and  died  there  where  they  lay.  The  survivors  left  them 
in  their  tomb ;  or,  if  charitable  hands  carried  the  corpses  out  to 
the  door  of  some  ruined  church,  there  they  lay  unburied,  in 
large  and  fearful  companies,  and  rotted  and  dissolved.  The 
bones  of  more  than  40,000  persons,  of  every  age  and  sex,  lay 
all  about,  above  and  belov/  the  earth,  horrible  to  the  hasty  tread. 
Some  12,000  sickly  and  feeble  men  survived  to  lay  down  those 
arms  which  tliey  could  scarce  support. 

The  defenders  of  Zaragoza  were  of  three  distinct  classes. 
The  enrolled  troops ;  the  peasants  of  the  neighborhood,  who 
had  flocked  within  the  walls ;  and  the  citizens.  Among  the  two 
last  parties  there  was  generated  a  system  of  terror  that  punished 
all  cowardice :  and,  regarding  even  lukewarmness  as  treason, 
punished  it,  also,  with  summary  execution  on  a  gibbet ;  a  cir- 
cumstance that  a  little  shadows  over  the  brightness  of  the  resist- 
ance. To  tlie  plebeian  leaders,  the  principal  of  whom  were 
slain  during  the  siege,  the  city  is  chiefly  indebted  for  the  glory 
of  her  long  and  wonderful  defence. 

Palafox,  a  name  that  was  once  and  long  a  kind  of  hallowed- 
spell,  was  not  the  man  we  fondly  thought  and  would  fain  have 
found  him.  To  say  that  he  was  not  sincere  as  a  patriot,  and  that 
he  did  not  exhibit  spirit  as  a  man,  would  be  greatly  to  wrong 
his  memory.  The  warm  part  which  he  took,  when  at  first  he 
aroused  Arragon  to  resistance ;  the  language  of  those  procla- 
mations, which  were  read  and  listened  to  with  a  burning  eager- 
ness all  over  Spain,  and  all  of  which  Palafox  himself  penned ; 
and  the  presence  of  this  chief  in  many  scenes  of  blood  and 
peril ;  prove  that  he  was  sincere  as  a  patriot,  and  brave  as  a 
man :  but 

"Worth  and  fame,  to  be  secure, 
Must  be  in  death  enshrined." 

The  foundation  of  the  heroic  character  was  wanting ;  there 
was  no  moral  deptli,  no  living  principle  of  action.  He  grew 
weary  of  the  fearful  and  never-ending  contest.  He  detested 
the  fierce  men  of  the  people,  and  their  system  of  terror.    He 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  109 

fell  sick ;  and  in  a  city  where  half  the  very  combatants,  daily 
fighting  in  the  streets,  were  sick  also,  for  the  last  month  of 
the  siege  he  never  came  fortli  from  a  secure  and  vaulted  build- 
ing. In  this  recess,  while  the  death-shower  of  shot  and  shell 
was  pouring  its  destruction  upon  the  exposed,  and  while  pale 
pestilence  was  walking  about  the  mute  and  melancholy  cham- 
bers of  thousands  of  his  fellow-citizeris,  the  habits  of  a  former 
life  returned  upon  him, — and  Palafox  is  reported  to  have  passed 
the  period  of  his  seclusion  in  sensual  indulgence.  Let  the  reader 
sigh  with  us  over  this  humiliating  fact,  and  let  him  lay  to  his 
heart  the  mournful  lesson  which  it  offers.  Such  and  so  weak  a 
thing  is  man ! 

Honors  were  decreed  to  Zaragoza  by  the  patriotic  government 
of  Spain ;  and  the  decree  contained  an  especial  promise,  that 
whenever  Palafox  should  be  restored  to  liberty,  tlie  nation  would 
confer  upon  him  that  reward  which  might  seem  most  worthy  of 
his  unconquerable  constancy  and  ardent  patriotism.  Palafox, 
however,  died  in  captivity.  His  name  will  ever  be  identified 
with  the  heroic  defence  of  Zaragoza :  it  was  long  a  watchword 
in  all  the  camps  of  Spain ;  and  enough  of  glory  will  yet  remain 
upon  it  to  make  men  turn  gladly  away  from  tlie  contemjd^iSr,  jp  _,— 
of  those  disappointing  features,  and  those  moral  iiiiling^jm^nf  *^  -^4 
now  lie  "  nailed  in  his  chest."  //V  ^  ~  ''<^ 

CHAP.  XU. 

NOTICE    OF    THE    WAR    IN    CATALONIA. TRANSACTIONS    IN    rOB^rafLCtUfblfiM 


AND  THE  SOUTH  OP  SPAIN.  —  THE    PORTUOUESE  ARMY    PLACED   UNt 

A  BRITISH    COMMANDER. THE    SPANIARDS    DEFEATED  AT    MEDELLIN 

AND  AT  CIUDAO  REAL. 

CATAiiOMA,  from  the  very  commencement  of  the  war,  resist- 
ed the  invader  with  vigor,  constancy,  and  success.  Many  of 
her  towns  had  been  pillaged,  many  of  her  villages  burned,  but 
where  their  feet  rested,  there  alone,  and  oftentimes  not  even 
there,  the  troops  of  France  found  tliemselvcs,  and  but  for  the 
moment,  masters.  Mongat  was  taken  by  Duhesme,  and  Gerona 
was  twice  bcsiege<l.  Slongat  was  soon  retaken  by  the  co- 
operation of  the  British.  The  assault  on  the  castle  of  Mongat 
was  concerted  with  lord  Cochrane,  and  the  crew  of  the  Impc- 
rieuse  were  engaged  in  tliat  action.  The  siege  of  Gerona  was 
twice  raised.  The  second  time  this  was  effected  in  a  very  bril- 
liant manner  by  the  count  dc  Caldagues  with  about  6000  men, 
whom  the  arrival  of  the  marques  del  Palacio  from  the  Balearic 
Isles,  with  a  reinforcement  of  5000  regular  troops,  left  disposa- 
ble for  that  important  service. 

Vol.  I.  K 


110  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

At  the  end  of  August,  1808,  the  French  having  been  on  all 
sides  defeated,  and  on  some  occasions  not  without  disgrace,  only 
held  Barcelona,  Figueras,  and  Mont  Jouy.  From  the  rugged 
summits  of  their  native  mountains,  the  courageous  and  hardy 
Catalans  bade  defiance  to  the  legions  of  Napoleon.  By  the 
marques  Palacio  new  levies  were  organized  with  great  activity, 
and  tlie  regular  army  was  strengthened  by  reinforcements  from 
Majorca,  Minorca,  and  by  4000  troops  recently  arrived  from 
Portugal.  The  chief  object  of  Palacio  was  the  recovery  of 
Barcelona;  and  with  this  view  he  collected  magazines  at  va- 
rious points  on  the  Llobregat,  and  took  up  an  intrenched  posi- 
tion at  San  Boy.  The  French  came  out  of  Barcelona,  and  drove 
him  away,  after  a  severe  engagement ;  in  which  they  carried 
the  position  of  San  Boy,  and  captured  three  guns,  together  with 
several  magazines  of  provisions,  clothing,  and  other  military 
stores.  The  Catalans,  however,  were  not  disheartened  by  this 
check,  and  Palacio,  taking  up  a  new  position  on  the  mountains, 
effectually  guarded  all  the  roads  which  debouche  from  the  plain 
of  Barcelona,  and  established  a  strong  blockade.  At  this  criti- 
cal juncture  general  Gouvion  St.  Cyr  entered  Catalonia  at  the 
head  of  18,0(X)  men.  His  first  object  was  the  town  and  fort  of 
Rosas,  the  possession  of  which  was  important,  and  under  their 
circumstances  mdispensably  necessary,  to  the  secure  holding  of 
Barcelona.  The  siege  of  this  place  was  a  service  allotted  to 
general  Reille,  and  his  corps  was  strengthened  by  the  Italian  di- 
vision of  Pino.  The  works  of  Rosas  were  bad ;  but  the  spirit 
of  the  garrison  was  excellent;  and  a  small  British  squadron, 
lying  then  in  the  bay,  some  marines,  and  fifty  seamen,  were 
thrown  into  the  citadel  and  Fort  Trinidad  to  assist  in  the 
defence.  Reille,  contrary  to  his  expectation,  found  himself 
compelled  to  lay  regular  siege  to  a  place  which  he  had  designed 
to  carry  by  a  sudden  assault.  On  the  16th  an  attack  was  made 
on  Fort  Trinidad ;  it  failed.  The  town  was  attacked  on  the 
night  of  the  27th.  It  was  defended  by  500  men ;  tliey  fought 
stoutly,  but  were  at  last  overpowered ;  only  fifty  of  them  es- 
caped, and  these  entered  the  citadel.  A  battery  was  opened  on 
the  citadel ;  and  Fort  Trinidad  had  already  been  breached,  when 
lord  Cochrane  arrived  in  the  Imperieuse,  and  with  eighty  sea- 
men and  marines  threw  himself  into  the  fort.  On  the  13th,  the 
French  stormed  the  breach  of  Fort  Trinidad,  and  were  repulsed; 
but  on  the  5th  of  December,  the  citadel  having  a  wide  breach, 
and  being  no  longer  tenable,  consented  to  surrender  ;  and  2000 
men  laid  down  their  arms,  and  were  made  prisoners  of  war. 
Lord  Cochrane,  seeing  all  further  resistance  to  be  vain,  blew  up 
the  magazine  of  Fort  Trinidad,  withdrew  his  people,  and  put 
to  sea. 

While  the  French  were  before  Rosas,  general  Vives,  by 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  Ill 

whom  Palacio  had  been  superseded,  was  foolishly  occupied  in 
making  preparations  for  the  siege  of  Barcelona.  The  very  day 
after  the  capitulation  of  Roeas,  St  Cyr  was  in  full  march  for 
the  relief  of  that  city.  He  was  at  the  head  of  15,000  foot, 
and  1500  horse.  The  army  of  Catalonia  under  Vives  amounted 
to  30,000  men.  The  French  general,  after  a  bold  and  difficult 
march,  conducted  with  consummate  skill  and  resolution,  was 
met  near  Llinas  by  Vives,  who  with  10,000  men  had  come  out 
to  oppose  him,  and  took  up  a  strong  position  in  his  front. 

St  Cyr,  who  had  been  forced  to  send  back  his  artillery  to 
Figueras,  resolved  instantly  to  attack  the  Spaniard,  although 
twelve  guns  were  distributed  along  his  line.  He  did  so ;  direct- 
ing his  attacks  to  be  made  in  columns  without  any  deployments. 
The  only  brigade  which  disobeyed  this  order  was  beaten  back 
by  tlie  division  of  Reding ;  but  a  fresh  disposition  being  made, 
and  a  reserve  column  brought  up,  the  battle  was  restored.  In 
a  few  minutes  the  Spanish  line  was  broken ;  and  all  its  guns, 
together  with  2000  prisoners,  were  in  the  power  of  St.  Cyr : 
only  one  column  of  the  Spanish  army  quitted  the  field  in  good 
order ;  this  Reding  led  across  the  Llobregat  to  Molino  del  Rey. 
Vives  escaped  over  the  mountains  on  foot ;  and  embarking  at 
Mataro,  hastened  to  Tarragona.  During  the  absence  of  Vives, 
Duhesme  sallied  from  Barcelona  against  the  besieging  force 
under  Caldagues.  He  was  bravely  met  and  repulsed  ;  but  Cal- 
dagues,  when  he  heard  of  the  defeat  at  Llinas,  abandoned  the 
magazines  and  withdrew  behind  the  Llobregat.  On  the  17th 
St  Cyr  entered  Barcelona.  On  the  morning  of  the  2l6t  he 
succeeded  in  bringing  the  Spanish  army  behind  the  Llobregat 
to  action,  and  gave  it  a  complete  discomfiture,  taking  all  their 
artillery  and  about  1200  prisoners :  the  rest  fled  across  a  coun- 
try most  favorable  for  fugitives,  and  about  15,000  were  after- 
wards collected  at  Tarragona.  St  Cyr  pushed  his  cavalry  to 
the  very  walls.  In  this  place  Vives  was  deprived  of  a  command, 
with  which,  from  his  total  incapacity,  he  should  never  have 
been  intrusted.  lie  was,  moreover,  thrown  into  prison,  and 
saved  with  difficulty  from  the  bloody  vengeance  of  the  people. 
Reding  was  by  the  public  voice  immediately  appointed  to  suc- 
ceed him ;  a  measure  which  soon  restored  confidence  tliroughout 
the  whole  province. 

The  system  for  a  time  pursued  by  Reding  was  admirable. 
He  employed  all  the  irregular  force  of  the  province  in  a  desul- 
tory warfare  with  the  Frencli  posts  and  detachments,  and  con- 
fined his  |)ersonal  attention  to  improving  the  discipline  of  his 
organized  battalions.  The  character  of  Reding  stixxl  high  in 
Catalonia :  he  was  beloved  by  the  soldiery,  and  respected  by 
the  authorities.  The  Catalans,  however,  soon  exhibited  the 
same  vain  character  which  had,  in  otiier  provinces,  caused  the 


112  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

Spaniards  to  overrate  their  own  strength,  and,  feeling  impatient 
of  the  presence  of  their  invaders,  they  clamored  to  be  led  to 
battle.  The  brave  and  faithful  Reding  was  assailed  by  anony- 
mous ^vritulgs,  accusing  him  of  cowardice,  incapacity,  and  trea- 
son :  he  had  not  fortitude  enough  to  resist  the  popular  cry.  The 
army  under  Reding,  which  contained  a  few  Swiss  battalions, 
and  many  regular  Spanish  regiments,  was  already  considerable ; 
and  by  a  new  levy,  which  demanded  the  services  of  every  fifth 
man  in  the  province,  it  was  augmented  to  a  body  of  28,000 
men.  Abandoning  the  prudent  course  he  had  hitherto  pursued, 
he  now  projected  offensive  operations  against  St.  Cyr.  The 
Spanish  troops  occupied  posts  upon  a  line  of  sixty  miles,  which 
traversed  a  rugged  country,  and  formed  a  lialf  circle  round  the 
French  army.  The  Catala,ns  were  put  in  motion  upon  the  14th 
of  February ;  but  on  the  16th  St.  Cyr  marched  upon  them  ; 
pierced  their  centre;  separated  their  wings;  threw  back  the 
right  of  Castro's  force  upon  Capellades ;  and  on  the  follov/ing 
day  drove  it  in  confusion  through  Igualada,  thus  defeating  a  part 
of  the  left  wing,  and  possessing  himself  of  all  their  principal 
magazines,  which  had  been  collected  at  that  place.  St.  Cyr 
now  posted  generals  Chabot  and  Chabran  at  Igualada,  to  keep 
the  beaten  troops  of  Castro  in  check,  and  marched  upon  the 
18th  against  Reding,  whose  extreme  left  was  at  St.  Magi.  He 
forced  the  position  of  St.  Magi  the  same  afternoon,  and  the  fol- 
lowing day  marched  to  the  abbey  of  Santa  Creus.  No  sooner 
did  Reding  hear  of  the  disaster  of  his  left  wing  under  Castro, 
than  taking  a  Swiss  battalion,  300  horse,  and  six  pieces  of  light 
artillery,  he  set  out  and  liastened  by  the  Pass  of  Cabra  to  join 
and  rally  the  scattered  force,  and  to  conduct  it  to  Tarragona ; 
thus  their  roads  lying  on  different  sides  of  Santa  Creus,  Reding 
and  St.  Cyr  passed  each  other,  each  unconscious  of  the  other's 
\'icinity,  pursuing  his  own  movement.  Reding  was  joined  by 
the  troops  which  were  retreating  from  the  Col  de  Christina,  and 
by  a  body  of  1200  men  who  had  bravely  defended  themselves 
at  the  abbey  of  Santa  Creus.  He  proceeded  to  St.  Colonna  de 
Queralt,  effected  a  junction  with  Castro,  and  was  immediately 
at  the  head  of  a  respectable  body  of  10,000  men.  Here  he  re- 
ceived intelligence  that  Vals  was  occupied  by  the  enemy,  and 
the  line  of  his  retreat  menaced.  He  held  a  council  of  war, 
and  determined  to  retire  by  the  Col  de  Riba,  upon  Tarragona. 
In  passmg  near  Vals,  the  army  of  Reding  was  attacked  by  the 
division  of  Souliam.  That  general  allowed  the  advanced  guard 
of  the  Spaniards,  and  the  half  of  their  main  body,  to  pass 
quietly  before  he  made  his  assault ;  but  he  was  bafHed  by  the 
ability  and  tlie  courage  of  Reding,  and  beaten  off  with  consid- 
erable loss.  Tlie  French,  however,  followed  them  on  the  line 
of  their  retreat  to  Tarragona ;  and,  being  strongly  reinforced, 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  I  Iff 

they  overtook  the  Spaniards,  and  compelled  them  to  engage. 
The  Spanish  position  was  carried ;  but  tlie  troops  retired  with 
steadiness  for  some  distance.  At  lengtli,  being  seized  with  a 
sudden  fear,  tliey  broke  and  fled  in  confusion,  leaving  artillery 
and  baggage  to  the  victors.  They  all  made  for  Tarragona ;  and 
the  greater  part,  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  gained  that  city 
in  safety.  Tlie  noble-hearted  Reding  received  several  wounds 
in  tliis  action.  He  arrived  at  Tarragona  on  tlie  night  of  tlie 
battle,  and  from  thence  he  wrote  his  dispatches.  He  never 
mentioned  his  own  wounds,  but  of  those  wounds  he  died.  Reding 
was  not  an  able  general,  but  he  was  courageous  and  faithful, 
and  a  man  of  distinguished  humanity  ;  but  he  had  lost  a  battle ; 
and  while  he  lay  disabled  by  his  wounds  in  Tarragona,  it  is 
recorded  that  tlie  populace,  who  always  attributed  a  defeat  to 
the  treachery  of  the  general,  would  in  their  fury  have  extin- 
guished with  rude  liands  the  flame  of  that  bright  life  which  was 
even  then  expiring.  At  the  death  of  Reding,  general  Blake  was 
appointed  to  the  command  of  his  anny,  and  nominated  captain- 
general  of  the  "  Coronilla ;"  an  expressive  title,  whereby  the 
2iree  beautiful  provinces  of  Valencia,  Arragon,  and  Catalonia, 
when  united,  are  often  designated. 

At  this  time  Junot,  who  commanded  the  French  in  Arragon, 
falling  sick,  returned  to  France,  and  was  succeeded  by  Sucliet. 
Before  the  retirement  of  Junot,  Blake  obtained  an  important 
success  over  his  troops.  A  French  detachment  of  1()00  men 
was  cut  off  between  Monzon  and  the  river  Cinca,  and  surren- 
dered to  the  Spaniards  under  Perena  and  Baget.  Soon  after 
this,  Blake  advanced ;  and  driving  back  the  French  posts  upon 
his  line  of  march,  possessed  himself  of  Alcanitz. 

Suchet,  however,  liad  now  taken  command  of  the  French. 
He  found  them  discontentetl  and  disorderly;  long  harassing, 
perpetual  exposure,  the  consciousness  of  the  curse  upon  their 
cause,  and  tlie  hourly  experience  that  they  were  objects  of 
hatred  to  an  afflicted  and  vindictive  people,  had  destroyed  tlieir 
spirit 

Suchet  collected  8000  infantry  and  700  horse,  and  marched 
them  against  Blake,  whom  he  found  in  position  at  Alcanitz  with 
about  12,(MK)  men.  Suchet's  dispositions  for  attack  were  most 
able ;  but  his  troops  were  beaten  by  the  Spaniards,  and  fairly 
fled  down  into  the  plain.  Here  the  marshal  rallied  them,  and 
at  night-fall  he  led  them  off*  quietly:  but  the  quaim  of  fear  visit- 
ed French  hearts  upon  this  occasion ;  for,  tliough  not  pursued, 
the  rear  column  was  seized  with  a  jmnic,  and  became  a  mob  of 
frightened  fugitives,  ' 

This  action  reflected  rare  honor  upon  Blake  and  the  troops 
which  iie«commanded ;  and  it  was  a  subject  of  universal  rejoic- 
ing tliroughout  Spain.  The  army  of  Blake  was  daily  strengtli- 
K2 


114  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

ened  by  fresh  recruits  and  volunteers ;  and  turning  his  whole 
attention  towards  Arragon,  he  resolved,  if  possible,  to  retake 
Zaragoza. 

We  return  to  the  transactions  in  Portugal  and  the  south.  In 
December,  1808,  the  English  ministers  directed  Mr.  Frere  to 
negotiate  with  the  supreme  junta  for  the  admission  of  a  British 
garrison  into  Cadiz ;  and  4000  men  were  embarked  at  Ports- 
mouth, under  Sir  John  Sherbrooke,  for  that  object.  At  the  same 
time  they  sent  Sir  George  Smith  to  Cadiz,  with  a  direct  a,ppli- 
cation  to  the  governor,  to  the  same  pui-pose ;  giving  Sir  George 
no  instructions  to  communicate  with  Mr.  Frere.  Sir  George 
found  Cadiz  helpless;  and  having  satisfied  hnnself  that  the 
inhabitants  would  receive  an  English  garrison,  he  WTOte  to  Sir 
John  Cradock  for  troops.  Sir  John  sent  the  40th  regiment,  by 
the  route  of  Seville,  from  Elvas,  and  dispatched  3000  men  by 
sea,  under  general  Mackenzie.  Tliat  officer  reached  Cadiz  on 
the  5th  of  February.  His  arrival,  with  an  object  different  from 
that  express  one  for  which  Mr.  Frere  was  negotiating,  did  either 
really  alarm  the  supreme  junta,  or  was  used  by  tliem  as  a  con- 
venient pretext  for  jealousy  and  objection.  After  much  cor- 
respondence and  discussion,  and  many  idle  propositions  for  the 
employment  of  this  force,  which  they  would  not  suffer  to  gar- 
rison Cadiz,  general  Mackenzie  was  recalled  to  Lisbon  by  Sir 
John  Cradock,  and  returned  thither  on  the  12th  of  March. 

A  French  army  was  again  at  Merida,  threatening  Lisbon  by 
the  line  of  the  Tagus.  Elvas  and  Almeida  were  no  longer  gar- 
risoned by  the  British,  and  general  Cameron  had  returned  from 
the  north  of  Portugal  to  Lisbon.  Sir  Robert  Wilson,  having 
sent  his  guns  to  Abrantes,  lest  tliey  should  encumber  him,  still 
maintained  himself  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  and, 
in  conjunction  with  a  Spanish  detachment  under  Don  Carlos 
d'Espana,  he  kept  alive  the  war  on  that  frontier,  by  marches 
and  skirmishes,  which  engaged  fully  the  attention  of  the  French 
advanced  posts.  Sir  John  Cradock,  however,  fearing  that  he 
should  soon  be  pressed  upon  by  the  overwhelming  forces  of  the 
enemy,  which  he  judged  to  be  now  disposable,  and  fancying  that 
it  was  the  intention  of  the  government  at  home  to  abandon 
Portugal,  began  to  make  such  preparations  for  embarking  with 
safety,  when  the  moment  of  necessity  should  arrive,  as  very 
greatly,  and  not  unnaturally,  exasperated  the  population  of 
Lisbon.  The  English  became,  for  a  time,  suspected  and  insult- 
ed. From  the  Minho  to  the  Tagus  there  was  but  one  burning 
desire, — that  was,  to  resist  the  invasion  of  the  French.  Nor, 
while  they  were  daily  murdering  such  of  their  own  countrymen 
as  they  suspected  either  of  belonging  to  the  French  party  cr 
being  lukewarm  in  that  of  the  nation,  is  it  a  matter  of  any  sur- 
prise that  they  should  have  outraged  an  ally,  whom  they  re- 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  115 

garded  as  forsaking  them  in  the  hour  of  their  need.  Ac- 
cordingly, English  officers  were  insulted  in  those  very  streets 
in  which  they  had  been  so  often  followed  witli  the  shouts  of 
admiration. 

While  matters  were  in  this  turbulent  state  in  Portugal,  the 
British  cabinet,  happily  not  subdued  by  tlie  late  disasters  in  the 
Peninsula,  resolved  to  reinforce  the  army  ;  and  tlie  Portuguese 
•goveniment  was  induced  to  offer  the  command  of  its  native 
forces  to  an  English  general  with  full  powers  to  organize  and 
discipline  all  tlieir  regiments  anew.  With  this  offer  tlie  cabinet 
of  England  wisely  closed,  subsidized  and  armed  all  their  regular 
forces,  and  the  military  strength  and  power  of  Portugal  became 
for  a  season  their  own, — a  weapon  of  fine  temper,  that  general 
Beresford  was  allowed  to  polish,  and  that  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley 
soon  wielded  with  equal  address  and  courage. 

Tlie  Portuguese  government  had  expressed  a  wish  that  Sir 
Arthur  Wellesley  himself  should  be  the  commander  of  their 
forces.  The  English  cabinet  offered  him  that  post,  which  he, 
of  course,  declined.  Many  officers  of  rank  and  talent  sought  the 
appointment :  it  was  bestowed  upon  major-general  Beresford, 
a  man  of  great  interest,  and  possessing  some  few  qualifications 
that  eminently  fitted  him  for  the  stubborn  labors  of  military 
reform. 

General  (from  henceforth  marshal)  Beresford  landed  at  Lis- 
bon early  in  March ;  received  his  commission,  and  commenced 
that  salutary  reform  in  the  Portuguese  regiments  by  which  he 
did  most  certainly  organize  for  the  field  a  steady,  efficient,  brave 
army.  He  had  to  encounter  many  prejudices  and  great  diffi- 
culties, not  so  much  with  the  men  as  with  the  officers  and  the 
government ;  but  he  was  of  a  stern  character,  and  not  without 
a  great  deal  of  good  judgment  in  all  matters  of  discipline  and 
command,  so  that  he  finally  and  fully  triumpiicd  over  all  obsta- 
cles. Moreover,  from  the  very  hour  tliat  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley 
took  the  chief  command  in  Portugal,  he  had  tlie  firm  and  wise 
support  of  a  mind  that  deeply  appreciated  the  importance  of  his 
labors. 

English  officers  were  introduced  into  the  Portuguese  regi- 
ments as  instructors ;  and  afler  a  time  almost  all  the  corps  were 
really,  though  not  avowedly,  under  Briti.sh  commanders ;  a  mea- 
sure of  necessity  to  the  well-being  of  the  army,  and  heartily 
consented  to  by  many  native  Portuguese  colonels,  who  were 
glad  to  hold  the  nominal  honor  of  command,  while  they  suffered 
their  English  major  to  conduct  all  the  details  of  regimental 
economy  and  field  exercise,  without  venturing,  or  even  desiring, 
to  interfere.  The  privates  became  greatly  attached  to  tlieir 
English  officers,  because  they  found  them  considerate,  patient, 
and  firm ;  full  of  integrity,  in  all  matters  concerning  tlie  pecu- 


116  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

niary  interests  of  the  soldier ;  full  of  care,  in  all  tliat  concerned 
his  comfort ;  full  of  intelligence,  in  all  that  concerned  his  in- 
struction ;  full  of  zeal  for  his  honor ;  and  always  setting  a  brave 
example  in  the  field.  We  speak  rather  in  anticipation,  for  as 
yet  marshal  Beresford,  who  had  fixed  his  head-quarters  at  Tho- 
mar,  was  only  laying  the  foundation  of  that  solid  and  imposing 
structure  which  he  at  last  succeeded  in  raising. 

The  return  of  general  Mackenzie's  brigade  from  Cadiz,  and 
the  arrival  of  general  Sherbrooke's  division,  increased  the  army 
of  Cradock  to  14,000  men.  The  kingdom  of  Portugal  was  at 
this  hour  menaced  by  50,000  French.  Victor,  with  25,000  men, 
having  defeated  Cuesta  at  Medellin,  threatened  the  Alemtejo. 
Lapisse,  with  9000  men,  lay  at  Salamanca  and  Ledesma,  his 
movable  columns  continually  hovering  about  Ciudad  Rodrigo ; 
and  Soult  was  at  the  same  moment  upon  the  banks  of  the  Minho. 
These  three  corps  were  designed  and  directed  by  the  emperor 
to  combine  their  movements  with  a  view  to  occupy  Oporto  and 
Lisbon.  PVightened  by  the  advance  of  Soult,  the  junta  of 
Oporto  sent  to  Lisbon,  and  were  clamorous  for  aid.  The  re- 
gency wished  Sir  John  Cradock  to  move  to  the  succor  of  Oporto; 
but  that  officer,  feeling  the  greater  importance  which  attached 
to  the  defence  of  the  capital,  refused  to  march,  and  determined 
to  cover  Lisbon  and  the  Tagus.  Thus  Oporto,  being  left  to  its 
fate,  both  by  Sir  John  Cradock  and  Sir  Robert  Wilson,  fell,  as 
has  already  been  described. 

While  Soult  was  employed  in  most  ably  and  boldly  perform- 
ing his  part  in  the  combined  attack  of  Portugal,  marshal  Victor, 
with  25,000  men,  lay  ready  in  the  valley  of  the  Tagus,  to  ope- 
rate upon  the  Spanish  army  of  Cuesta,  posted  on  the  southern 
bank  of  that  river.  He  commenced  his  movements  on  tlie  15th 
of  March,  on  which  day  he  sent  a  division  of  infantry  and  a 
brigade  of  cavalry  across  the  Tagus  at  Talavera.  On  the  16th 
he  crossed  himself  with  the  main  body  of  his  army  at  the  bridge 
of  Arzobispo;  and  he  sent  his  artillery,  with  a  battalion  of  gren- 
adiers, an  escort  of  horse,  and  a  raft  bridge,  to  Almaraz.  At  this 
point  they  were  to  pass  the  river,  when  the  columns  of  the  army, 
already  on  the  other  side,  should  have  advanced  and  possessed 
themselves  of  the  heights  opposite.  General  Henestrosa  was 
posted  on  the  Spanish  left,  with  8000  men,  to  defend  the  bridge 
of  Almaraz.  The  Spanish  right  was  posted  behind  a  mountain- 
torrent  called  the  Ibor.  They  had  a  strong  camp  at  Meza  d'lbor 
on  a  mountain.  It  was  attacked  by  the  division  of  general  La- 
val, and,  after  a  very  hot  but  short  contest,  the  Spaniards  fled  to 
Campillo,  having  lost  800  killed  and  wounded,  1000  prisoners, 
and  seven  guns.  That  the  Spaniards  did,  for  a  time,  show  a 
good  countenance,  is  proved  by  the  French  loss :  they  had  570 
killed  and  wounded.    A  smaller  body  of  Spanisli  troops  were 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  117 

beaten  from  Frenedoso  by  the  division  of  Villatte,  with  the  loss 
of  300  prisoners.  On  the  18th,  Henestrosa  retired  iiastiiy  be- 
fore Laval ;  the  same  night  the  raft  bridge  was  thrown  across 
the  Tagus ;  and  on  the  morrow  the  dragoons  and  artillery  passed 
the  river,  and  the  entire  force  marched  towards  Merida.  There 
was  an  affair  of  cavalry  at  Miajarlas,  in  which  the  light  cavalry 
of  the  French  under  Bordesoult  were  drawn  into  an  ambush 
by  the  Spaniards ;  and,  being  set  upon  by  very  superior  num- 
bers of  Spanish  horse,  extricated  themselves  with  difficulty,  and 
with  the  loss  of  170  killed  and  wounded.  Cuesta  retired  to 
Medellin.  Victor  halted  in  Truxillo,  having  his  advance  at 
Miajadas ;  but,  on  the  27th,  he  was  again  in  motion,  and  march- 
ad  upon  the  enemy,  lie  heard,  the  same  evening,  that  Cuesta 
had  been  joined  by  Albuquerque,  and  lay  ready  for  battle  on  the 
table  land  of  Don  Benito  beyond  Medellin,  and  he  resolved  to 
attack  them.  He  had  14,000  infantry,  2500  cavalry,  and  forty- 
two  gims.  The  Spanish  army  mustered  25,000  foo^  4000  horse, 
and  twenty  pieces  of  artillery. 

The  French,  proud  of  past  successes,  and  in  all  the  confi- 
dence of  victory,  filed  over  the  long  and  narrow  bridge  on  the 
Guadiana,  by  which  the  old  city  of  Medellin  is  approached ; 
and  the  light  horse  of  Jjasalle,  and  the  dragoons  of  liitour-Mau- 
bourg,  debouched  upon  the  wide  plain  beyond ;  the  light  cavalry 
moved  forwards  upon  the  left,  the  dragoons  upon  the  right,  and 
*he  piquets  of  Spanish  horse  retired  slowly  before  them  to  the 
high  ground  above :  the  Spanish  infantry  was  not  seen.  The 
divisions  of  German  and  French  infantry  were  scarcely  formed 
in  the  plain,  before  the  Spanisli  line  advanced  over  the  swelling 
ground  which  had  concealed  it,  and  descended  for  the  battle. 
Victor  placed  his  army  so  as  to  describe  the  arc  of  a  circla 
His  left  was  on  the  Guadiana,  his  right  leaned  upon  a  difficult 
ravine,  planted  witli  trees  and  vineyards;  tlie  German  infantry 
was  stationed  in  the  centre ;  the  divisions  of  Villatte  and  Ruffin 
were  in  reserve ;  the  Spaniards,  in  a  long  weak  line,  came 
rapidly  and  resolutely  down ;  the  mass  of  the  Spanish  cavalry, 
under  the  duke  del  Parque,  was  on  their  loft  ;  and  the  duke  of 
Albuquerque,  witli  a  few  squadrons,  flanked  the  Spanish  right; 
the  whole  moving  in  a  sort  of  crescent,  that  enveloped  the 
French  left.  La.salle  was  compelled  to  give  way  under  the 
pressure,  and  continually  refusing  his  own  left,  brought  his  op- 
ponents close  up  to  the  main  body  of  the  French  infantry,  near 
Medellin.  Upon  the  French  right,  the  Spanish  foot  boldly  ad- 
vanced :  they  were  oliarged  by  two  regiments  of  Latour-Mau- 
bourg's  dragoons,  but  they  repulsed  them  with  loss ;  the  Ger- 
man infiintry  wit!»  crrcat  difficulty  sustained  the  furious  onset  of 
some  Spanish  battalicjns.  But  the  success  of  the  Spaniards  was 
of  no  long  continuance ;  tlic  French,  though  sliaken,  wore  soon 


118  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

rallied,  and  though  they  had  lost  a  battery  of  guns,  they  soon 
brought  up  more.  Marshal  Victor  reinforced  L^tour-Maubourg 
with  fresh  guns,  and  two  columns  of  infantry ;  and  thus 
strengthened,  that  general  beat  down  the  Spanish  foot  with 
quick  discharges  of  grape,  and,  rushing  upon  their  disordered 
ranks  at  the  charge,  overthrew  them,  recovered  all  his  ground, 
and,  still  advancing,  crowned  that  part  of  the  heights  from 
which  the  Spanish  left  had  at  first  descended.  In  an  eager  dis- 
jointed manner,  the  Spanish  right  was  still  pushing  forwards, 
and  the  Frencli  were  compelled  to  fall  back  into  their  ranks, 
before  fierce  and  daring  skirmishers.  With  loud  and  haughty 
sliouts,  these  Spaniards  threatened  their  enemies,  saying,  that 
the  plain  of  Medellin  should  be  the  bloody  bed  of  the  French 
army.  Even  as  they  tlms  spoke,  their  own  graves  were  making 
ready.  Lasalle's  cavalry  took  ground  to  its  left,  and  held  the 
important  space  between  the  French  infantry  and  the  river ; 
Latour-Maubourg,  already  victorious  on  the  right,  poured  down 
upon  the  Spanish  rear ;  the  French  infantry  advanced  in  front 
with  a  murderous  fire,  and  the  light  cavalry  of  Lasalle  charged 
the  best  lancers  of  Albuquerque,  who  fled  in  a  sudden  and  wild 
panic.  Whence  come  these  qualms  of  fear,  that  change  in  a 
□rief  moment  the  character  of  a  combatant,  and  the  face  of  a 
battle"!  Cuesta,  a  brave  old  officer,  galloped  to  rally  them,  but 
in  vain — the  day  v/as  lost.  Right  and  left  the  Spanish  cavalry 
were  flying  from  the  field ;  Cuesta  himself  was  thrown  from  his 
liorse,  and  well-nigh  taken,  but  rescued  by  his  two  nephews 
and  his  staff.  General  Frias,  who  commanded  the  SpanisJi  in- 
fantry of  the  centre,  was  severely  wounded,  and  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.  At  this  moment,  while  the  Spanish  regi- 
ments on  the  right  might  yet  have  been  withdrawn  in  columns, 
and  preserved,  Eguia  would  not  give  the  necessary  orders  him- 
self, nor  suffer  Abuquerque  to  do  so.  The  Spanish  troops,  per- 
plexed, broken  and  dismayed,  fell  beneatli  the  swords  of  the 
French  horsemen  in  such  numbers,  that  the  savage  work  of 
slaughter  is  spoken  of  as  a  severe  labor,  that  quite  exhausted 
the  victors.  The  infantry  of  the  French,  following  hard  after 
their  cavalry  in  the  pursuit,  gave  good  help  in  this  slaughter 
with  their  bayonets;  and  a  French  officer,  who  was  present, 
has  observed,  that  "  the  vengeance  of  the  soldiers  fell  chiefly 
upon  such  of  the  Spaniards  as  were  without  a  military  uniform." 
Here  again,  as  in  all  other  of  the  Spanish  battles,  the  patriot 
peasants  lay  down  in  their  dress  of  toil,  after  new  and  unaccus- 
tomed labors,  to  take  a  rest  more  deep  than  the  sweet  siesta. 
More  than  half  of  the  Spanish  forces  lay  stretched  upon  the 
field,  and  several  thousands  were  made  prisoners. 

In  La  Manclia  the  army  of  La  Carolina  was  defeated  at  Ciu- 
dad  Real,  with  the  loss  of  its  guns,  1000  or  more  slain,  and 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  119 

8000  taken  prisoners.  The  Spaniards  were  commanded  by 
Cartoajal,  and  amounted  in  number  to  12,000 :  10,000  French 
troops  under  Sebastiani  attacked  them.  There  is  nothing  to  be 
observed  upon  this:  the  Spaniards  were,  of  course,  beaten. 
They  fled  by  Almagro,  and  never  halted  till  they  felt  their  feet 
firm  upon  the  mountains  of  the  Sierra  Morena,  to  the  foot  of 
which  barrier  the  French  cavalry  closely  pursued  them ;  but 
amid  these  hilly  fastnesses  the  fugitives  rallied,  and,  collecting 
again  in  considerable  numbers  round  the  villages  of  that  district, 
resolved  upon  other  trials  of  their  arms.  The  combat  of  Ciudad 
Real  was  fought  on  the  27th  of  March ;  and  the  horsemen  of 
Sebastiani's  corps  are  said  to  have  handled  their  sabres  with 
little  of  mercy. 


CHAP.  xin. 

SIR     ARTHUR     WELLB3LEY    MARCHES     AGAINST    BOULT PASSES     THE 

DOURO. —  RETAKES   OPORTO. DELIVERS  THE  NORTHERN    PROVINCES 

OF    PORTUGAL   FROM    THE    PRESENCE   OF   THE   FRENCH. 

Upon  this  scene  of  doubt,  difficulty,  and  distraction,  Sir  Ar- 
thur Wellesley  appeared,  resolved  for  action  and  confident  of 
success.  He  instantly  decided  upon  offensive  movements,  and, 
after  satisfying  himself  that  no  concert  or  communication  could 
possibly  exist  at  that  moment  between  the  armies  of  Victor  and 
Soult,  determined  to  fall  upon  the  latter  general,  and  dislodge 
him  from  Oporto.  A  few  marches  would  carry  the  British  to 
the  scene  of  action;  and  as  soon  as  the  north  of  Portugal 
should  be  delivered  from  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  he  medi- 
tated a  prompt  return  to  the  Tagus,  and  an  attack  upon  the 
corps  of  Victor.  In  the  mean  time  it  was  necessary  to  provide 
for  the  calmness  of  Lisbon,  though  there  was  little  to  apprehend 
as  to  its  real  security ;  for  Victor  was  eighteen  marches  from 
that  capital.  As  a  mca.sure  of  precaution,  however,  and  with  a 
view  to  impede  and  delay  Victor,  should  he  attempt  a  rapid  rush 
upon  Lisbon,  two  British  battalions,  two  regiments  of  British 
cavalry,  and  8000  Portuguese  troops  wore  disposed  along  the 
ri^it  bank  of  the  Tagus ;  the  flying  bridges  at  Abrantes  and 
Villa  Velha  were  taken  up,  and  a  militia  regiment  and  part  of 
the  Lusitanian  legion  were  posted  at  Alcantara,  under  the  or- 
ders of  colonel  Majme,  with  instructions  to  blow  up  that  noble 
bridge,  should  the  advance  of  the  enemy  compel  him  to  retreat. 
The  whole  of  these  troops  were  under  tlic  command  of  general 
Mackenzie.  Having  made  this  disposition  on  the  line  of  the 
Tagui?,  he  communicate<l  to  Ciiosta  his  own  plan  of  operations, 
and  urged  upon  that  leader  the  prudence  of  his  remaining 


120  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

strictly  on  the  defensive  until  he  could  bring  back  the  British  to 
his  support,  and,  by  a  combined  attack  upon  tiie  corps  of  Victor, 
insure  success. 

The  liead-quarters  of  the  British  army  now  quitted  Lisbon ; 
halted  at  Porabal  on  the  1st  of  May,  and  reached  Coimbra  or 
the  2d.  Here,  again,  shouts  of  welcome,  crowds  of  gazers,  illu- 
minations and  bonfires  greeted  the  advancing  army ;  and.  Sir 
Arthur  Wellesley,  in  particular,  was  received  with  passionate 
enthusiasm.  Popularity  like  this  is,  to  the  ear  of  a  leader,  ar 
the  music  of  a  coming  triumph ;  nor  is  any  heart  so  calm  anc 
governed  as  to  remain  untroubled  by  those  throbs  which  are  the 
presages  of  victory.  The  allied  army  was  concentrated  at 
Coimbra  on  the  5th  of  May.  It  was  distributed  into  seven 
brigades  of  infantry  of  the  line,  two  brigades  of  German  infan- 
try, one  brigade  of  guards,  and  one  of  light  cavalry.  In  the 
organization  of  this  force,  four  of  the  best  Portuguese  battalions 
were  incorporated  with  British  brigades.  Marshal  Beresford 
retained  under  his  personal  command  a  body  of  six  thousand 
Portuguese.  The  force  of  Trant  was  on  the  Vouga,  that  of 
Silveira  on  the  Tamega,  and  Sir  Robert  Wilson  was  posted  with 
some  Portuguese  troops  (not  his  legion)  at  Vizeu. 

The  position  of  Soult  at  Oporto  was  difficult  and  critical ;  he 
commanded  the  ground  on  which  his  troops  reposed ;  but  in  his 
front,  on  his  rear,  on  all  sides  were  enemies,  and,  strange  to  say, 
in  his  very  camp  there  were  conspirators  and  traitors,  and  those 
of  no  mean  rank,  and  of  an  influence  to  create  no  small  alarta 
for  the  safety  and  subordination  of  his  army.  These  conspira- 
tors were  republicans :  their  project  was  to  make  a  truce  with 
the  English  army,  to  elect  a  chief,  and,  leading  their  discon- 
tented soldiers  back  into  France,  to  curb  or  overthrow  tlie 
emperor,  and  change  the  French  government.  D'Argenton,  an 
adjutant-major,  was  one  of  the  principal  of  these  discontented 
men,  and  he  contrived  two  visits  to  the  British  head-quarters. 
He  had  an  interview  with  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  at  Lisbon,  and 
again  at  Coimbra ;  but  Sir  Arthur,  suspecting  both  the  extent 
and  importance  of  tlie  conspiracy  to  be  greatly  exaggerated,  and, 
m.oreover,  disliking  the  intrigue,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the 
unfortunate  d'Argenton,  despising  the  malcontents,  refused  all 
favor  to  their  project,  and  regulated  his  operations  without  any 
reference  to  their  proceedings. 

The  plan  of  his  movements  was  already  completed,  when 
intelligence  was  brought  that  the  bridge  of  Amarante  had  been 
forced,  and  that  Silveira  was  driven  over  the  Couro.  The  posi- 
tion of  Amarante  was  most  important ;  for  while  held  by  Sil- 
veira, the  most  favorable  road  for  the  retreat  of  the  French  was 
closed  against  them.  Soult  directed  Laborde  and  Loison  to  gain 
it  at  any  price.     This  post,  though  daily  assaulted,  was  main- 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  121 

tained  from  the  18th  of  April  to  the  30th  with  bravery  and 
firmness.  Colonel  Patrick,  a  valiant  and  zealous  officer,  serving 
with  the  Portuguese  troops,  was  killed  in  this  gallant  defence ; 
but  Soult,  bringing  forward  a  strong  reinforcement  in  person, 
carried  it  upon  tlie  2d  of  May,  and  Silveira  was  compelled  to 
retire. 

This  news  reached  Coimbra  on  the  4th  of  May ;  the  measures 
of  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  were  of  necessity  changed,  but  he  was 
not  slow  to  adapt  them  to  circumstances  as  they  arose.  Upon 
the  6th  of  May,  he  directed  marshal  Beresford  to  march  with 
6000  Portuguese,  two  British  battalions,  five  companies  of 
riflemen,  and  a  squadron  of  heavy  cavalry,  by  Vizeu  upon 
Lamego. 

Upon  the  7th  the  advanced  guard  of  the  main  army  was  in 
motion  upon  the  Oporto  road :  it  was  followed  by  tlie  whole 
force,  which  amounted  to  about  14,500  infantry,  1500  cavalry, 
and  twenty-four  guns,  of  which  six  were  J^-pounders.  The 
troops  were  organized  in  four  divisions:  one  of  cavalry,  and 
three  of  infantry ;  they  marched  in  two  columns, — one  of  which, 
consisting  of  a  division  of  foot  under  general  Hill,  moved  upon 
Aveiro ;  while  the  stronger  column  advanced  directly  upon  the 
Vouga. 

These  corps  halted  on  the  8th  to  give  marshal  Beresford  time 
to  gam  his  point  upon  the  Upper  Douro,  before  the  combined 
attack  should  be  made.  Upon  the  night  of  the  9th,  the  main 
force,  with  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  was  upon  the  line  of  the 
Vouga. 

Upon  the  same  evening  general  Hill  embarked  at  Aveiro 
upon  the  lake  of  Ovar,  with  one  brigade  of  his  division ;  and  as 
soon  as  the  astonished  fishermen  recovered  from  their  surprise, 
and  understood  the  object  for  which  their  boats  had  been  seized, 
they  manned  them  with  such  readiness,  and  worked  so  heartily, 
that  the  troops  were  landed  at  Ovar  by  sunrise,  and  the  right 
flank  of  the  enemy  was  already  turned. 

That  same  day,  marshal  Beresford  having  united  tlie  corps  of 
Wilson  with  his  own,  drove  Loison  to  Amarante,  and  turned 
the  French  left- 
Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  in  person  meditated  the  surprise  of  gen- 
eral Franceschi  on  the  morning  of  the  10th  at  Albcrgaria  Novbl. 
The  plan  was  perfect ;  but,  by  petty  delays,  trifling  accidents,  and 
difficulties  of  ground,  the  combination  was  frustrated,  and  the 
opportunity  lost.  Our  cavalry  came  upon  JVanceschi  in  broad 
daylight,  and  found  him  steady  in  position;  his  horsemen  in  a 
ready  line,  with  their  flank  resting  on  a  wood  full  of  tirailleurs. 
As  soon  as  Sir  Arthur  came  up  with  general  Pagct's  division 
of  infantry,  he  disUxlged  the  French  infantry  from  the  wood ; 
but  Franceschi,  though  briskly  pursued,  made  good  his  retreat 

Vol.  I.  L 


122  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

to  Oliveira  without  any  serious  loss;  and  marching  all  night 
joined  Mermet  the  next  morning  at  Grijon.  Here  the  French 
were  drawn  up  in  position,  on  a  range  of  steep  hills  across  the 
road :  they  occupied  a  wood  on  their  right  flank,  their  left  was 
not  protected ;  the  ground  in  their  front  was  sufficiently  strong. 
The  16th  Portuguese  regiment  drove  their  infantry  out  of  the 
wood  on  their  right ;  the  German  infantry  marched  upon  the 
left,  and  turned  it  without  a  check.  The  head  of  the  British 
column  was  already  engaged  with  them  in  front ;  but,  as  soon 
as  their  position  was  fairly  turned,  they  drew  off"  to  the  rear, 
and  being  closely  pursued  by  two  squadrons  of  cavalry  under 
brigadier-general  Stewart,  they  lost  a  few  killed,  and  had  about 
a  hundred  taken  prisoners.  They  halted  again  for  a  short  space 
upon  the  heights  of  Carvalho,  but,  as  soon  as  the  British  infantry 
came  up,  they  continued  their  retreat.  This  flying  combat 
ceased  at  dusk.  The  British  columns  passed  the  night  in  re- 
pose ;  the  French,  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  crossed  the 
Douro,  and  destroyed  the  bridge. 

Marshal  Soult  made  his  arrangements  for  evacuating  Oporto, 
under  an  impression  that  general  Loison  still  maintained  him- 
self on  the  Tamega ;  and  that,  if  any  effort  was  made  by  the 
British  to  cross  the  Douro,  vessels  would  come  round  by  sea, 
and  the  passage  be  attempted  below  the  city.  All  tlie  boats  on 
the  river  were  moored  upon  the  northern  bank,  which  was  vigi- 
lantly patrolled.  The  artillery  and  baggage  moved  off  leisurely 
on  the  road  to  Amarante ;  and  Soult,  feeling  liis  retreat  secure, 
determined  on  halting  in  the  city  another  day,  that  all  things 
might  be  conducted  with  good  order  and  regularity.  Easy  about 
all  above  the  city,  he  took  up  his  own  station  in  a  house  which 
commanded  a  fine  view  down  the  river,  and  fixed  his  personal 
attention  upon  that  quarter,  not  a  little  interested,  in  all  proba- 
bility, to  see  what  the  maritime  English  would  do.  From  the 
convent  of  Sarea  the  hero  of  Assaye  was  looking  down  upon 
tliat  large  volume  of  waters  which  the  Douro  rolls  swiftly  to 
the  sea  in  a  bed  of  three  hundred  yards  wide,  even  at  Oporto 
itself,  where  the  stream  is  confined  between  high  and  rocky 
shores.  By  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  British  columns 
were  assembled  at  Villa  Nova,  in  the  rear  of  the  convent  of 
Sarea,  and  concealed  from  the  enemy  by  the  height  on  which 
it  stands.  With  hearts  and  arms  all  ready  for  the  fray,  they  lay 
thoughtless  on  the  groimd,  little  dreaming  of  any  trouble,  while 
their  great  captain,  with  that  moral  courage  which  is  his  pre- 
eminent distinction,  was  deciding  upon  one  of  those  actions 
which  great  men  alone  attempt.  "  Let  a  boat  be  found,"  was 
his  anxious  demand  to  the  officers  of  his  staff!  Colonel  Waters 
was  the  active  and  enterprising  man,  whose  fortune  it  was  to 
find  a  little  skiff"  which  had  crossed  from  the  city  in  the  night. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  133 

It  lay  among  the  bushes  just  at  a  spot  where  there  is  a  bend  in 
the  course  of  the  river,  concealed  at  that  point  by  wood,  at  the 
distance  of  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  city.  Standing 
near  the  skiff  was  the  prior  of  a  convent,  and  three  or  four 
peasants.  Colonel  Waters  leaped  into  the  little  boat,  and  per- 
suaded these  peasants  to  accompany  him:  they  evaded  the 
French  patrols,  and  returned  from  the  opposite  bank  with  three 
or  four  barges.  In  the  mean  time  guns  were  brought  up  to  the 
convent  of  Sarea,  and  planted  in  battery:  and  major-general 
Murray  was  directed,  with  his  column,  to  march  to  Ifarca  de 
Avintas,  three  miles  higher  up  the  river,  and,  availing  himself 
of  any  transport  which  he  could  find  there,  to  effect  a  passage. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  day  when  the  report  was  made 
to  Sir  Arthur  that  one  boat  was  brought  to  the  point  of  passage 
which  he  had  selected.  "  Well,  let  the  men  cross,"  was  his 
brief  order ;  and  an  officer  and  twenty-five  soldiers  of  the  Bufis 
passed  over  to  a  large  unoccupied  building  called  the  Seminary, 
just  opposite  Sarea,  and,  without  even  a  stir  of  alarm,  took  quiet 
possession.  They  were  speedily  followed  by  two  other  boats ; 
m  one  of  which  was  general  Paget,  an  intrepid  ofiicer,  whose 
youthful  heroism  in  Egypt  had  already  won  him  a  name,  and 
who  now  threw  himself,  with  only  three  companies  of  foot,  upon 
the  line  of  a  French  army. 

These  last  had  scarce  leaped  upon  the  bank  and  gained  the 
Seminary,  before  the  drums  and  trumpets  of  the  enemy  were 
sounding  alarms ;  troops  hurried  out  o(  the  city  in  masses 
hastily  assembled,  and  advanced  with  eager  fury  to  destroy  the 
small  but  resolute  band,  which,  from  the  Seminary  walls,  was 
to  brave  their  fierce  assault  Their  attack  was  violent,  and 
their  fire  heavy ;  but  the  little  party  maintained  itself  stoutly, 
and  was,  at  every  return  of  the  boats,  now  receiving  a  small 
accession  of  strength  and  confidence.  As  he  stood  upon  the 
roof  of  the  Seminary,  general  Paget  was  struck  down  by  a 
severe  wound  very  early  in  the  engagement ;  but  general  Hill, 
a  man  of  the  same  firm  courage  and  the  same  devoted  zeal,  was 
at  hand,  and  immediately  took  his  place.  The  enemy's  numbers 
were  very  great ;  tlieir  musketry  sharp  and  hicessant ;  and  tlieir 
artillery  began  to  play  upon  the  building.  But  the  English 
batteries  from  the  convent  of  Sarea  swept  the  bank  on  either 
flank  of  the  Seminary ;  and  the  French  assault  was  of  necessity 
confined  to  the  area  and  gateway  in  the  front  The  struggle 
was  obstinate  ;  and,  as  yet,  there  was  no  appearance  of  the 
troops  of  Murray  from  the  side  of  Avintas.  It  was  so  anxious 
a  moment,  that  Sir  Arthur  himself  would  have  crossed  to  the 
Seminary  but  for  the  earnest  remonstrance  of  those  about  him. 
He  saw,  tot),  that  Hill,  one  of  those  gallant  and  steady  lieuten- 
ants upon  whom  the  commander  of  an  army  may  always  rely. 


124  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

maintained  his  post  with  signal  heroism,  and  had  now  gotten 
the  Buffs,  48tli,  66th,  and  16th  Portuguese  under  his  command. 
While  this  the  great  combat  of  the  day  was  going  forward  with 
a  stern  loudness  and  much  bloodshed,  the  division  of  general 
Slierbrooke,  which  had  advanced,  at  the  moment  the  passage  of 
the  river  first  began,  to  that  part  of  the  bank  where  tlie  old 
boat-bridge  had  been  cut  away,  was  hailed  by  the  citizens  from 
the  windows  and  walls  of  Oporto,  with  the  lively  gestures  and 
vehement  shouts  of  invitation. 

They  readily  brought  boats  across  to  transport  tlie  British  to 
the  right  bank,  and,  as  the  guards  and  29th  were  ferried  over, 
the  wall,  which  runs  along  the  river,  was  lined  with  people 
waving  their  caps  and  handkerchiefs,  and  vociferating  "  vivas  " 
with  a  mad  exultation.  The  same  was  their  reception  in  the 
streets,  up  which  they  hastened  to  form  upon  the  enemy's  right 
Every  balcony  was  animate  with  smiles,  and  noisy  with  wel- 
come. 

The  appearance  of  Sherbrooke's  division  on  the  French  right, 
and  the  head  of  Murray's  columns  descending  upon  their  left 
from  Avmtas,  decided  the  contest.  The  French  were  defeated ; 
and,  being  pursued  by  heavy  volleys  from  the  battalions  of  Hill, 
and  from  the  leading  corps  of  Sherbrooke's  division,  they  passed 
along  the  Vallonga  road  in  haste  and  confusion,  escaping  far 
too  easily  from  the  column  led  by  general  Murray :  but  general 
Charles  Stewart  and  major  Hervey,  with  two  squadrons  of  cav- 
alry, pressed  forward  from  this  column  with  a  laudal)le  impa- 
tience, and  charged  the  enemy's  rear  guard.  In  this  melee  Her- 
vey lost  an  arm.  The  dragoons  had  the  satisfaction  of  falling 
upon  the  enemy  with  some  effect  more  than  once,  but  they  were 
not  supported,  and  were  soon  recalled.  Thus  the  engagement 
closed.  The  French  were  in  full  march  to  the  rear,  the  English 
slept  upon  the  ground  they  liad  so  gallantly  taken ;  and  thus 
was  the  passage  of  the  Douro  won :  an  exploit  worthy  alike  of 
the  leader  who  projected  and  of  the  troops  who  achieved  it.  In 
this  action,  of  which  it  is  recorded  that  Napoleon,  the  very  mo- 
ment he  heard  of  it,  pronounced  Wellesley  a  great  general,  the 
British  loss  was  only  120  killed  and  wounded:  such  is  tlie 
reward  of  boldness  and  decision.  That  of  the  French  amounted 
to  500;  and  five  pieces  of  artillery  were  taken  on  the  field. 
Much  ammunition  and  fifty  guns  were  found  in  the  arsenal ;  and 
the  French  hospitals  fell  into  the  victors'  hands.  The  city  of 
Oporto  was  illuminated  the  same  night,  and  the  sounds  of  re- 
joicing echoed  through  the  streets ;  yet,  in  many  places,  they 
were  slippery  with  blood,  and  lamps  were  shining  upon  the 
naked  dead.  In  the  course  of  the  day  there  had  been  figliting 
in  the  suburbs,  and  tlie  French  who  had  fallen  were  left  dead 
where  tliey  lay.     To  protect  the  French  prisoners  from  the 


The  doke  of  wellihgtoh.  125 

vindictive  fury  of  a  revengeful  people,  was  the  first  act  of  Sir 
Arthur  Wellesley.  He  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Oporto  the  very  next  morning,  calling  on  them  to  be  forbear- 
ing and  humane  to  all  such  of  the  unfortunate  individuals  as 
might  be  taken  captive  in  these  operations. 

Upon  the  evening  of  the  capture,  tlie  British  head-quarters 
were  established  in  the  very  house  whicli  marshal  Soult  had  oc- 
cupied ;  and  a  dinner  in  preparation  for  him  was  served  up  at 
the  table  of  Sir  Arthur,— one  of  those  trifling  occurrences  in 
warfare,  which  exliilarate  not  only  the  chance  partakers  of  spoil 
so  innocent,  but  which,  as  an  anecdote  mirthful  to  the  soldiery, 
spread  pleasure  very  widely  through  the  lines.  Tiie  following 
day  was  principally  employed  by  Sir  Arthur  in  arrangements 
for  pursuit  General  Murray's  Germans  were  sent  forward  in 
the  morning  of  the  13th  upon  the  road  of  Amarante ;  and  upon 
the  14th  the  wliole  army  was  again  in  motion.  The  contem- 
porary operations  of  marshal  Beresford  had  been  eminently  suc- 
cessful ;  although,  certainly,  the  conduct  of  general  Loison,  his 
opponent,  was  marked  by  a  timidity  so  unusual,  as  to  savor 
strongly  of  a  disobedient  and  indiflerent  supineness,  if  not  a 
designed  treachery.  He  fell  back  to  Mezamfrio  on  the  10th, 
suffering  himself  to  be  driven  by  Beresford,  and  to  be  followed 
by  Portuguese  patrols.  On  the  11th,  he  continued  his  retreat, 
Beresford  skirmishing  with  his  rear.  On  the  l'2th,  he  allowed 
his  outposts,  in  front  of  Amarante,  to  be  forced  in ;  and  upon  the 
13th,  he  abandoned  that  most  important  position,  and  took  the 
route  of  Guimaraens ;  thus  criminally  exposing  the  main  body 
under  Soult  witliout  an  eflbrt. 

Of  tliese  events  Sir  Arthur  was  yet  in  ignorance.  It  was 
doubtful  whether  Soult  would  retire  on  Gallicia  by  Ponte  de 
Lima,  Valen^a,  and  Tuy,  or  upon  Leon  by  Chaves.  To  provide 
for  either  course,  general  Murray  was  directed  upon  Penafiel, 
and  the  rest  of  tlie  army  followed  the  lower  road  towards  Va- 
len«ja.  Upon  the  15th,  Sir  Arthur  obtained  good  intelligence 
tliat  tlie  French  had  destroyed  botli  stores  and  artillery  at  Pena- 
fiel, and  were  pushing  to  Chaves,  He  himself  quickly  chtinged 
his  plan,  and,  abandoning  the  lower  road,  advanced  to  Braga, 
and  reached  it  the  same  day.  Beresford,  anticijating  the  orders 
which  had  in  fiict  been  dispatched  to  him,  was  already  near 
Chaves,  and  had  moved  Silveira  towards  Salamonde,  that  he 
might  occupy  the  passes  of  Ruivaens  and  Melga^i.  But,  at 
this  very  time,  Soult  was  fifteen  miles  in  advance  of  Braga, 
liaving  saved  his  army  by  a  retreat  of  most  adventurous  and 
hardy  efforts,  along  mountain-paths,  and  across  mountain  bridges. 
Tliese  la.st,  though  guarded  by  Portuguese,  were  surprised  bv 
one  of  ids  chosen  officers  and  a  few  grenadiers  witli  tliat  still 


126  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

and  steady  bravery  which  asks  yet  firmer  nerve  than  the  sliock 
of  battle. 

About  four  o  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  16th,  Sir  Arthur 
came  up  with  the  rear-guard  of  Soult,  which  remained  at  Sala- 
monde  to  cover  the  passage  of  the  army  over  the  bridges  Ponte 
Nova  and  the  Saltador:  they  were  well  posted,  but,  nevertheless, 
they  would  not  stand ;  and  after  one  discharge  abandoned  their 
position  to  general  Sherbrooke's  division,  and  fled  to  the  Ponte 
Nova.  They  were,  for  a  time,  concealed  by  the  nature  of"  the 
ground  and  by  the  direction  of  their  retreat,  and  they  attempt- 
ed a  fresh  formation  :  but  the  English  guns  were  soon  up ;  and 
opening  upon  them  in  that  confused  and  bewildered  state, 
they  fell  in  great  numbers.  The  bridge  was  choked  with  lace- 
rated bodies ;  the  rocks  around  were  covered  with  dead ;  and 
wounded  men  and  horses  were  tumbled  headlong  into  the  gulf 
below. 

The  scene  in  the  morning,  through  which  the  pursuers  pass- 
ed, was  dreadful.  The  French  soldiers,  harassed,  mortified,  and 
knowing  tliat  they  were  hated  by  the  peasants,  plundered  the 
villages  as  they  passed  along ;  oftentimes  set  them  on  fire  also ; 
and  murdered  many  of  the  inhabitants.  Their  stragglers  were 
in  turn  sacrificed  by  the  enraged  peasants  with  inventive  cruel- 
ties and  fearful  execrations. 

As  soon  as  it  was  ascertained  that  Soult  had  turned  off  from 
Montalegre  towards  Orense,  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  determined 
to  relinquish  the  pursuit ;  a  resolution  in  which  he  was  con- 
finned  by  learning,  upon  the'  night  of  the  17th,  that  the  French 
in  Estremadura  had  a  large  detachment  moving  towards  Alcan- 
tara. The  four  brigades  at  Braga  were  ordered  instantly  to 
march  back  to  Oporto ;  and  all  those  in  advance,  and  with  the 
head-quarters,  were  soon  halted  and  countermarched  in  the 
same  direction.  Soult  crossed  the  frontier  at  Allaritz  on  the 
18th,  and  on  the  19th  he  reached  Orense,  without  guns  or  stores, 
and  with  the  loss  of  six  thousand  men.  He  had  quitted  that 
place  ten  weeks  before  with  22,000  good  soldiers,  and  had  been 
further  reinforced  by  3500  from  Tuy.  Cannon,  equipment,  bag- 
gage, and  one-fourth  of  his  army,  was  lost ;  but  that  19,000  men 
were  brought  off  in  safety,  and  reserved  for  future  service  in 
the  war,  was  entirely  owing  to  the  firmness  and  the  energy  of 
their  able  and  unyielding  general. 

Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  having  made  full  arrangement  for  the 
defence  of  these  northern  provinces,  now  turned  his  horse's 
head  towards  tlie  Tagus,  and  bent  his  mind  upon  a  struggle 
with  Victor. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  127 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

STATE    OF   THE   WAR   IN  GALLICIA   AND   THE    A8TURIAS. POSITION   OF 

VICTOR. SIR     ARTHUR    WELLESLEY     MARCHES    TO     THE     TAGUS.  — 

ENCAMPS    AT   ABRANTES. ADVANCES    INTO    SPAIN. 

The  defeat  of  Romana  at  Monterey  did  not  affect  that  noble 
man  further  than  to  stimulate  him  to  new  and  increased  exer- 
tions. Having  zealously  repaired  his  losses,  and  being  rein- 
forced by  3000  men  from  Castile,  he  surprised  a  French  post  at 
Villa  Franca  del  Bierzo  upon  the  17th  of  April.  In  this  affair, 
which  was  planned  and  conducted  with  secrecy,  expedition,  and 
boldness,  Romana  captured  eight  hundred  effective  French  sol- 
diers ;  and  the  disposition  of  his  own  force  was  so  good,  that  he 
only  lost  100  men  killed  and  wounded.  It  may  be  here  noticed, 
that  a  part  of  those  very  men  who  were  defeated  in  the  Val  dee 
Orres  in  January,  collected  again  between  Tuy  and  Vigo,  and 
formed  a  part  of  the  insurgent  force  of  peasants  to  which  the 
latter  place  surrendered  on  the  27th  of  March.  The  British 
frigates  the  Lively  and  Venus  assisted  in  this  capture  ;  Captain 
Mackinlcy  of  the  Lively,  and  Don  Pablo  Murillo  commanding 
the  Spanish  soldiers,  negotiated  the  terms.  One  thousand  three 
hundred  prisoners,  upwards  of  400  horses,  sixty  covered  wagons, 
some  stores,  and  the  military  chest  of  the  second  corps,  contain- 
ing £5000,  were  the  solid  fruits  of  tliis  merited  success.  Mean- 
while, all  over  Gallicia,  the  patriots  were  acting  upon  the  French 
communications  with  vigilance  and  vigor;  their  movable 
columns  were  daily  sustaining  severe  losses ;  they  had  no  re- 
pose, and,  except  where  they  were  assembled  in  large  bodies, 
no  security. 

Afler  the  loss  at  Villa  Franca,  they  advanced  to  Lugo,  and 
Romana  entered  the  Asturias.  At  Navia  de  Suama,  he  quitted 
his  army.  Leaving  it  in  charge  of  Malii,  he  proceeded  in  per- 
son to  Oviedo,  to  make  inquiry  into  the  conduct  of  the  Asturian 
junta,  whose  shameful  and  corrupt  practices  were  an  oppression 
to  tlie  people,  and  a  hindrance  to  those  in  arms.  By  virtue  of 
his  authority  as  captain-general  of  the  province,  he  dismissed 
tlie  unworthy  members,  and  appointed  others  upon  whose  probity 
and  zeal  he  could  rely.  While  Romana  was  thus  usefully  en- 
gaged in  reforming  abuses  and  restoring  the  confidence  of  the 
people,  the  French,  by  whom  an  individual  like  Romana,  of 
public  integrity,  tried  courage,  and  unabated  zeal,  was  viewed 
with  mingled  sentiments  of  respect  and  fear,  turned  all  tlieir 
attention  to  this  province.  Marshal  Ney  planned  a  combined 
movement,  upon  a  very  extensive  scale,  to  destroy  the  army  of 
Romana  and  the  Asturian  levy.  In  this  last  force,  which 
amounted  to  15,000  peasants,  was  included  the  active  band  of 


128  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

guerrillas,  led  by  Porlier  the  marquisetto.  This  force,  com- 
manded by  Ballasteros,  held  Infiesta  to  the  cast  of  Oviedo,  and 
Castropol  upon  the  coast ;  to  execute  the  movement  resolved  on, 
Kellerman  with  about  9000  men  was  to  march  upon  Oviedo ; 
general  Bonnet  was  to  advance  from  St.  Andero  against  the 
Asturian  levy,  and  Ney  was  to  direct  in  person  the  attack  upon 
the  army  under  Mahi. '  During  the  absence  of  marshal  Ney, 
general  Marchand  was  to  provide  for  the  war  in  Gallicia :  three 
battalions  were  left  at  St.  Jago,  three  at  Corunna,  one  at  Ferrol, 
three,  with  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  at  Lugo ;  with  the  marslial 
himself  were  twelve  battalions  and  three  regiments  of  horse. 
As  he  advanced  upon  Mahi,  that  general  retired  by  his  left  from 
Navia  de  Suarna,  and,  declining  the  contest,  threw  himself  into 
the  valley  of  the  Syl.  Ney  pushed  forwards  to  Oviedo  with 
such  rapidity,  that  he  was  within  a  march  of  that  city  before 
Romana,  who  had  only  one  regiment  with  him,  knew  of  liis  ap- 
proach. Nevertheless  he  gained  a  little  time,  by  checking  the 
enemy  at  the  bridge  of  Pefiaflor,  though  of  course  sufficient 
only  to  preserve  the  regiment  and  secure  liis  own  safety.  These 
few  men  he  sent  to  Infiesta,  and  embarked  on  board  an  English 
vessel  himself  at  Gihon.  On  the  18th  of  May  they  entered 
Oviedo,  and  were  joined  by  Kellerman.  Troops  were  sent  in 
pursuit  of  Romana,  but  happily  in  vain.  When  Bonnet  march- 
ed from  St.  Andero,  Ballasteros,  by  a  bold  and  happy  movement, 
threw  liimself  upon  tliat  unguarded  place,  and  retook  it  from 
the  French,  making  prisoners  the  garrison  and  hospital,  in  all 
1100  men.  There  were  some  small  French  craft  in  the  port, 
on  board  of  which  the  staff  and  sick  officers  attempted  to  escape ; 
but  the  Amelia  and  Statira  British  frigates,  arriving  off  the 
harbor  at  this  time,  captured  these  vessels,  and  intercepted  their 
ffight. 

While  Ney  was  absent  in  the  Asturias,  the  Spanish  general 
Carrera,  and  with  him  Murillo,  attacked  the  French  force  near 
St.  Jago  de  Compostella,  under  Maucunc,  and  totally  routed  it. 
The  French  lost  six  hundred  men  and  their  guns,  and  fled  in 
terror  to  Corunna.  At  the  same  time  Mahi,  as  soon  as  Ney  had 
marched  onwards  to  Oviedo,  came  forth  from  the  valley  of  the 
Syl,  and  closely  invested  the  force  under  general  Foumier,  at 
Lugo,  on  the  19th  of  May. 

This  uneasy  state  of  the  French  in  Gallicia  was  a  little  re- 
lieved by  the  return  of  Soult  from  Portugal,  who  marched  in- 
stantly upon  Lugo.  Mahi  fell  back  upon  the  22d  to  Mondonedo, 
and  Lugo  was  occupied  by  the  marshal  on  the  23d ;  Ney,  re- 
turning into  Gallicia  by  the  coast  road,  joined  marshal  Soult  on 
the  30th.  At  Mondonedo,  Romana,  having  disembarked  at 
Ribadeo,  again  took  command  of  his  troops,  and,  after  a  most 
skilful  march,  he  led  them  across  the  royal  road  a  little  above 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  129 

Lugo,  placed  them  once  more  in  the  valley  of  the  Syl,  and  was 
soon  again  in  active  communication  with  the  Spanish  leaders  at 
St.  Jago  de  Compostella  and  at  Vigo.  Bonnet  retrieved  the 
misfortune  of  St  Ander  soon  after  this,  by  the  total  defeat  of 
the  troops  of  Ballasteros  on  the  11th  of  June,  and  by  the  release 
of  all  the  prisoners  taken  from  his  own  division,  as  well  as  those 
captured  at  Villa  Franca  by  Romana :  Ballasteros  himself  es- 
caped on  board  an  English  ship. 

It  is  impossible  to  record  all  these  efforts  of  the  Spaniards, 
and  especially  tliose  of  that  best  and  noblest  among  them,  La 
Romana,  without  sincere  and  warm  admiration.  And  when  we 
consider  the  state  of  Romana's  corps  in  January,  tuid  the  short 
time  he  ever  had  of  repose  to  organize  tlie  rude  levy  by  which 
he  was  surrounded,  and  the  generals  and  the  troops  to  whom  he 
was  opposed,  we  feel  his  reputation  to  have  been  greatly  won, 
and  deserving  of  all  praise. 

After  his  triumph  at  JMedellin,  Victor  had  established  his 
head-quarters  at  Merida,  but  had  refused  to  advance  upon  Por- 
tugal, unless  the  division  of  Lapisse,  from  Salamanca,  was 
directed  to  join  him  by  Alcantara.  Nevertheless,  he  made  an 
eflbrt  to  ]X)ssess  himself  of  Badajos  by  opening  an  intrigue  with 
some  of  the  richer  inhabitants  of  that  place,  who,  either  from 
weariness  or  timidity,  were  disinclined  for  any  further  resist- 
ance, and  willing  to  betray  the  city.  This  effort  proved  abor- 
tive :  the  traitois  were  discovered  and  arrested,  and  their  nefa- 
rious design  was  baffled.  In  tlie  beginning  of  April,  general 
Lapisse,  who  had  remained  idle  with  ten  thousand  men  at  Le- 
desma  and  Salamanca  from  January  to  March,  advanced  towards 
Bejar;  but  finding  the  passes  already  occupied,  he  threw  him- 
self suddenly  to  the  right  upon  the  Lusitanian  legion,  drove  it 
under  the  guns  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  and,  having  summoned  that 
place,  took  up  a  position  behind  the  Aguctla.  lapisse  had  been 
again  ordered  by  the  king  to  advance  to  Abrantes,  in  pursuance 
of  Napoleon's  instructions  for  the  combined  movements  against 
Portugal :  disregarding  these  orders,  that  general  abandoned  all 
connexion  with  the  corps  of  Soult,  to  whose  operations  and  fate 
he  had  shown  tlie  most  wilful  indifference,  and  marched  by  the 
pass  of  Perales  and  Alcantara  to  join  Victor  at  Merida.  A  body 
of  Spaniards  attempted  to  stop  him  at  Alcantara,  but  he  routed 
them,  and  plundered  the  city.  Sir  Robert  Wilson,  with  Don 
Carlos  d'EsiMiria,  and  with  a  great  crowd  of  volunteer  pea.santry, 
followed  close  upon  his  steps;  and  a  post  under  colonel  Mavne, 
OS  has  been  already  notice*!,  was  established  in  that  place.  The 
recovery  of  Alcantara  was  now  ordered  by  the  king,  and  Victor 
moved  down  from  Merida  with  that  objwt.  Colonel  Mayne, 
who  had  two  thousand  Portuguese  infantry,  a  few  horsemen, 
and  si.x  guns,  made  a  very  handsome  resistance,  and  sustained 


130  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

a  considerable  loss.  lie  then  retired  in  good  order,  failing,  how- 
ever, in  his  attempt  to  destroy  the  bridge.  The  French  crossed 
it,  and  pushed  their  patrols  into  Beira,  in  the  direction  of  Cas- 
tello  Branco ;  but,  finding  that  general  Mackenzie  was  on  the 
alert,  and  had  come  forward  to  Sobreira  Formosa,  and  hearing 
also  that  Soult  was  in  retreat,  they  crossed  the  Tagus  again, 
abandoned  Alcantara,  and  marched  to  their  old  ground  at  Me- 
rida.  The  castle  of  Merida,  in  which  Victor  had  left  a  detach- 
ment, was  attacked,  during  his  absence,  by  Cuesta ;  but,  as  the 
French  again  appeared,  the  Spaniards  repassed  the  Guadiana, 
and  took  jxtst  at  Zafra.  On  the  other  side,  the  Spaniards  in  the 
valley  of  the  Tagus  began  to  be  so  formidable  as  to  alarm  Vic- 
tor for  tiie  security  of  his  communications.  He  therefore  sent 
a  division  to  Almaraz  to  watch  the  bridge,  and  fixed  his  head- 
quarters at  Torremocha.  Colonel  Mayne  again  took  possession 
of  Alcantara. 

By  the  7th  of  June,  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  had  brought  his 
troops  from  the  Douro,  and  they  encamped  upon  the  southern 
bank  of  the  Tagus ;  but  although  they  had  been  brought  up  with 
care,  and  by  easy  marclies,  they  were  sickly,  and  were  daily 
losing  men.  The  army  remained  stationary  at  Abrantcs  till  the 
latter  end  of  June ;  and  Sir  Arthur  had  the  mortification  of  see- 
ing day  after  day  roll  by,  the  full  value  of  which  none  could  so 
well  estimate  as  ho,  without  the  power  of  advancing  into  Spain. 
But  it  was  not  possible  to  move  without  money.  He  could  nei- 
ther obtain  the  supplies  of  the  country,  nor  could  lie  command 
means  of  transport,  either  by  land  or  water,  for  such  stores  as 
our  commissariat  had  already  in  possession.  His  men  were 
without  shoes ;  his  officers  and  soldiers  totally  without  pay,  and 
distressed  for  common  necessaries ;  and  his  hospitals  were  full. 
Though  he  had  been  reinforced  by  5000  men  since  his  opera- 
tions on  the  Douro,  he  had  only  22,000  men  effective,  present, 
under  arms.  He  must  have  felt  the  inadequacy  of  this  force  to 
great  and  extended  operations ;  but  that  of  which  he  had  now 
to  complain  was,  that,  small  as  were  the  military  means  placed 
at  his  disposal,  even  of  these,  owing  to  a  negligent  misman- 
agement at  home,  he  had  not  the  free  use.  With  an  empty 
military  chest,  nothing  could  be  undertaken.  This  great  and 
shameful  irregularity  in  providing  for  the  pay  of  the  troops,  the 
followers  of  the  army,  and  for  the  vast  and  necessary  demands 
of  the  commissariat,  obtained  frequently  throughout  the  war. 
Who  were  interested  in  the  delay  of  these  remittances,  it  is  not 
for  us  to  say :  to  ascribe  it  to  indolence  and  mal-arrangement 
does  not  account  to  us  for  the  fact  of  so  frequent  a  repetition  of 
the  same  neglect.  We  dwell  upon  this,  because  it  fettered  and 
hampered  the  illustrious  subject  of  our  memoir  on  the  present 
occasion,  and  because,  as  he  was  a  man  of  great  public  integ- 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTOX.  131 

rity,  and  with  the  strictest  notions  concerning  probity  and  good 
faith  in  all  his  dealings  With  tlie  inhabitants  of  tlie  Peninsula, 
and  in  all  engagements  made  with  followers ;  and  desirous,  both 
as  their  protector  and  commander,  tiiat  his  soldiers,  for  the  sake 
of  justice  and  discipline,  should  be  regularly  paid,  we  know  that 
the  neglect  here  spoken  of,  weighed  often  and  heavily,  through- 
out the  war,  upon  his  firm  and  elastic  mind. 

It  is  true  that  an  excellent  spirit  prevailed  in  the  army  at  this 
time,  as  at  all  others :  there  were  no  murmurs,  no  complainings 
in  the  ranks;  no  doubts  as  to  the  final  and  just  settlement  of  all 
their  claims.  The  men  had  a  confidence  in  their  commander's 
honor,  a  trust  in  his  talents,  a  belief  in  his  fortune,  and  an  ad- 
miration of  his  courage.  Hence  they  would  have  endured  any 
hardship,  have  borne  any  privation,  and  have  faced  any  danger, 
if  they  only  saw  Wellesley  in  the  camp.  It  was  the  conscious- 
ness of  this  noble  feeling  in  his  troops  that  made  him  more 
keenly  alive  to  the  unnecessary  privations  and  distresses  to 
which,  from  the  want  of  pay,  they  were  not  unfrequently  sub- 
jected. Althougli  we  may  seem  to  be  anticipating  by  this  last 
observation,  still  we  are  glad  to  place  it  in  the  fore-front,  for 
the  benefit  of  those  (we  hope  few)  readers  who  think  that  a 
military  commander  lias  nothing  to  do  but  order  a  drum  to 
beat,  and  an  army  marches ;  and  to  order  another  to  beat,  and 
it  fights. 

We  return  to  the  camp  of  Abrantes.  The  Spaniards  were 
most  importunate  for  offensive  operations,  and  for  the  advance 
of  the  British ;  but  no  Spanish  general  could  be  so  eager  to  tread 
the  onward  road  as  he  who  had  already  commencetl  his  career 
witli  an  achievement,  which  not  one  upon  the  same  scale  in  the 
annals  of  European  warfare,  had  hitherto  surpassed.  After 
much  correspondence  with  Cuesta,  commanding  tlie  Spanisli 
army  in  Estremadura,  a  general  brave  and  true,  but  old,  with- 
out talent,  bigoted  to  his  own  antiquated  notions,  and  with  the 
obstinacy  of  age  stout  in  his  own  opinions.  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley 
prevailed  with  him  to  adopt  that  line  of  operations  which  seeme<l 
to  him  most  promising  for  successful  results. 

At  the  end  of  June,  Sir  Arthur  commence<l  his  march  into 
Spain  by  the  northern  banks  of  the  Tagus,  with  a  view  to  join 
the  army  of  Cuesta  on  the  Tietar,  and  to  combine  with  him  an 
offensive  movement  on  Madrid.  The  Spanish  forces  in  the 
south  at  this  period  e.xcectled  sixty  thousand.  The  corps  of 
Cuesta  amounted  to  thirty-eight  thousand,  tliat  of  Vanegas  to 
twenty-five  thousand  effective.  In  the  English  camp  on  the 
frontier  were  twenty-two  thousand  good  soldiers ;  and  it  was 
known  to  their  commander,  that  a  reinforcement  of  eight  thou- 
sand was  at  Lisbon.  The  number  of  French  troops  disposed 
for  tii3  protection  of  Madrid  was,  at  the  lowest,  fifty  thousand. 


132  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

On  the  27th  of  June,  the  English  army  marched  from  Abrantes 
to  Spain.  The  army  moved  by  both  banks  of  the  Tagus.  Upon 
the  10th  of  July  the  divisions  were  all  united  at  Plasencia,  and 
were  jouied  by  a  regiment  of  cavalry  and  two  of  infantry  from 
Lisbon.  The  French  force  under  marshal  Victor,  which  had, 
previous  to  this  advance  of  the  British,  retired  from  Torremo 
cha,  had  now  taken  post  at  Talavera  de  la  Reyna,  and  the  Span- 
iards under  Cuesta  were  at  Almaraz.  The  position  of  the  Brit- 
ish army,  and  its  line  of  march  up  tlie  valley  of  tlie  Tagus,  were 
not  free  from  considerable  danger :  for  beyond  the  mountains, 
on  its  left,  lay  the  French  corps  of  Soult  and  Ney ;  and  although 
the  intercepted  letters  of  those  marshals  drew  so  strong  a  pic- 
ture of  tlieir  difficulties,  that  it  was  scarcely  probable  they 
could  attempt  any  offensive  movements  upon  his  flank,  still  that 
which  was  possible  demanded  attention  ;  and  Sir  Arthur  made 
tlie  very  best  arrangements  in  his  power  to  provide  a  security 
against  any  sudden  irruption  from  the  north  into  the  valley  of 
the  Tagus.  He  instructed  Beresford  to  look  carefully  to  the 
defence  of  Puerto  Pcrales ;  and  with  great  difficulty  prevailed 
on  the  Spanish  generals  to  make  a  detachment  for  the  occupa- 
tion of  Bejar  and  of  the  Puerto  de  Bancs,  as  also  to  furnish  a 
second  for  the  pass  of  Peralea 

Before,  however,  the  arrangement  for  the  Spaniards  occu- 
pying Bejar  and  Bafios  could  be  concluded  to  his  satisfaction, 
he  proceeded  to  confer  with  Cuesta,  and  to  concert  with  him 
offensive  operations. 

This  conference  lasted  two  days ;  but  it  was  at  last  arranged 
that  the  British  and  Spanish  armies  should  march  against  Victor 
on  the  18th  ;  that  Vanegas,  with  his  body  of  Spaniards,  should 
advance  through  La  Mancha  to  the  Upper  Tagus,  directing  his 
march  upon  Fuente  Duenas  and  Villa  Maurique,  to  engage  the 
attention  of  Sebastiani,  and  prevent  him,  if  possible,  from  unit- 
ing his  corps  to  that  of  Victor. 

The  path  of  duty  in  Spain  was  not  one  easy  to  be  trodden  by 
a  British  general.  Previous  to  his  advance  into  Spain,  Sir  Ar- 
thur Wellesley  had  sent  forward  commissaries  to  all  the  neces- 
sary points,  to  arrange  for  the  supply  of  his  troops,  and  to  pur- 
chase mules  for  transport.  From  the  supreme  junta  he  had 
received  full  assurance  that  he  should  be  well  supplied  with 
every  thing  his  soldiers  could  need ;  and  the  junta  dispatched 
an  officer  of  rank  and  authority,  Don  Lonzano  de  Torres,  inten- 
dant-general,  to  fulfil  the  promises  which  they  had  made,  and 
upon  the  faith  of  which  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  had  come  out  of 
Portugal  with  few  means  of  transport,  and  without  magazines. 
Before,  however,  he  had  made  five  marches  from  Castello  Bran- 
co,  it  was  discovered  that  these  promises  were  good  for  nothing. 
The  British  could  neither  procure  means  of  transport  nor  obtain 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELXJNGTON.  133 

supplies ;  neither  did  the  Spanisli  local  authorities  use  any  exer- 
tion to  aid  the  Britisli  commissaries  in  tlieir  efforts  to  provide 
them.  Moreover,  upon  the  part  of  the  inhabitants  there  was 
manifested  a  degree  of  suspicion  and  ill-will  towards  the  Eng- 
lish, very  provoking,  not  difficult  to  be  accounted  for,  but  not 
easy  to  be  overcome. 

The  difficulty  of  subsisting  his  army  was  so  great,  that  as 
early  as  the  16th  of  July  Sir  Artiiur  wrote  to  inform  Cuesta  of 
his  distress ;  and  stated  his  resolution  not  to  proceed  beyond  tlae 
Alberche,  unless  the  wants  of  his  army  were  supplied,  although 
ready  to  advance  to  that  river  according  to  the  plan  already 
concerted  between  them. 

Li  pursuance  of  tliis  plan  the  British  army  from  Plasencia  was 
to  pass  tlie  Tietar  at  the  Venta  de  Bazagona,  and  to  march  upon 
Oropesa.  Sir  Robert  Wilson,  with  his  Lusitanian  legion,  a  few 
dragoons,  and  two  Spanish  battalions,  was  to  gain  possession  of 
the  passes  of  Arenas  which  lead  upon  Avila,  and  of  the  pass  of 
San  Pedro  Bernardo,  which  leads  upon  Madrid. 

The  English  troops  did  not  break  up  from  the  camp  at  Pla- 
sencia, till  the  17th.  Upon  the  2Uth  they  reached  Oropesa,  and 
were  halted  there  for  one  day.  Upon  the  21st,  Cuesta  with  the 
Spaniards  passed  tlirough  Oropesa,  and  marching  forwards,  unit- 
ed his  wliole  force  at  Velada.  On  the  same  day  Victor  called 
in  all  his  detachments  and  foraging  parties,  and  took  post  behind 
the  Alberche  with  two  divisions  of  infantry,  leaving  a  strong 
rear-guard  at  Talavera. 

On  the  22d  the  allies  advanced ;  and  Cuesta  marching  along 
the  high  road  to  that  place  came  up  witn  2000  French  dragoons 
under  general  Latour-Maubourg,  drawn  up  on  the  table  land 
of  Gamonal.  The  French  general  checked  the  leading  column 
of  the  Spaniards;  and  maintamin^  a  good  countenance,  compelled 
general  Zayas  to  halt,  and  to  show  all  his  people  without  any 
necessity.  It  was  always  easy  to  make  tlie  Spaniards  commit 
those  absurdities. 

Until  tlie  head  of  tlie  British  columns  appeared  upon  his 
right,  Latour-Maubourg  did  not  move ;  and  tlien  retired  in  the 
best  possible  order,  supported  by  infantry,  behind  the  Alberche, 
marching  most  leisurely,  and  sustaining  no  loss,  although  in  the 
presence  of  many  batteries  and  60(X)  Spanish  liorae.  We  name 
this  only  for  the  purpose  of  showing  with  what  description  of 
force  the  British  were  allied  in  these  operations,  and  how  little 
was  to  be  expected  from  them :  because,  knowing,  as  we  do, 
what  French  dragoons  are,  and  what  this  Spanish  cavalry  was; 
knowing  wliat  an  officer  Latour-Maubourg  was ;  and  tliat  the 
Simnish  horse  was  under  tlio  onlcrs  of  tliosc  who  witliout  hia 
talent  or  experience  were  also  without  any  confidence  in  the 
discipline,  skill,  or  steadiness,  of  tlieir  own  unformed  cavalry ;  it 
Vol.  L  M 


134  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

would  have  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to  us,  if  2000  of  Napo- 
leon's dragoons,  supported  by  infantry,  had  not  effected  a  quiet 
and  orderly  retreat  on  this  occasion. 

We  would  here  remark,  that  when,  upon  the  10th  of  July, 
Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  visited  the  camp  of  Cuesta  near  the  Col 
de  Mirabete,  that  general  drew  out  his  forces  for  the  inspection 
of  the  British  commander. 

The  guides  who  were  conducting  Sir  Arthur  and  his  adjutant- 
general  lost  their  way ;  and  they  did  not  arrive  at  the  Spanish 
encampment  till  it  was  already  dark.  The  troops,  however, 
who  had  been  four  hours  waiting,  were  still  under  arms  with 
the  veteran  Cuesta  at  their  head.  Sir  Arthur  was  received 
with  a  general  discharge  of  artillery ;  and  a  number  of  large 
torches  being  lighted  up,  he  passed  the  entire  Spanish  line  in 
review  by  their  red  and  flaring  blaze.  In  this  manner  he  passed 
about  6000  cavalry  drawn  up  in  rank  entire,  and  not  less  than 
twenty  battalions  of  infantry.  They  were  all  remarkably  fine- 
looking  men ;  but  many  of  them  were  extremely  young,  too 
young  for  service ;  in  fact,  raw  recruits  of  a  boyish  age :  yet 
were  they  well  made,  stout,  and  to  all  appearance  hardy.  With 
the  exception  of  a  few  battalions,  they  were  very  ill  appointed  ; 
not  clothed  in  uniform  ;  and  were,  in  general,  in  want  of  shoes. 
It  was  immediately  seen  from  their  position  under  arms,  and 
from  the  awkwardness  with  whicli  they  handled  their  firelocks, 
that  they  were  a  raw  undisciplined  levy.  Some  corps  there 
were  of  regularly  appointed  effective  soldiers;  such  as  the 
Irish  brigades,  the  marine  battalions  from  Cadiz,  and  the  pro- 
visional battalions  formed  out  of  the  wreck  of  those  brave 
grenadiers  who  had  fought  so  well,  and  fallen  in  such  numbers 
in  the  early  part  of  that  fatal  battle  at  Medellin.  To  speak 
generally,  however,  the  army  was  little  better  than  a  crowd  of 
peasants  disposed  in  battalions  after  the  rule  of  military  organi- 
zation; armed,  indeed,  partially  like  soldiers,  but  unacquainted 
with  a  soldier's  duty.  Again,  their  cavalry  was  well  mounted, 
but  very  ill  disciplined ;  ignorant  of  the  most  common  move- 
ments and  formations ;  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  very  few 
corps,  miserably  equipped,  and  not  fit  to  take  the  field.  The 
artillery  was  numerous,  and  not  a  bad  artillery  for  fire ;  but  the 
order  and  arrangements  of  this  arm  were  all  after  the  old  sys- 
tem :  their  movements  were  encumbered  and  slow  ;  they  were 
brought  into  action  with  difficulty ;  and,  if  retreat  became  ne- 
cessary, were  seldom  saved.  Such  was  this  Spanish  army ! 
such  in  character  were  they  all !  seldom  one  so  good,  many 
greatly  inferior.  We  are  as  sure  as  if  we  had  been  by  the  side 
of  Sir  Arthur,  that  as  he  rode  down  the  Spanish  line,  and  saw 
the  swart  Iberians  in  the  red  light  of  the  torches  which  were 
held  aloft  as  he  passed  along,  and  as  he  listened  to  the  noisy 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELUNGTON.  1 35 

welcomes  of  the  cannon,  and  the  loud  confusion  of  sounds,  when 
battalion  after  battalion  shouldered  to  receive  him,  he  was 
forcibly  reminded  of  India,  and  of  all  tlie  noisy  parade  of  those 
half-disciplined  hosts  which  are  found  in  pompous  array  before 
the  elephants  of  the  native  princes.  It  is  not  improbable  that 
the  memory  of  the  inefficiency  of  oriental  troops  was  awakened 
at  the  sight;  and  tliat  as  he  lay  down  upon  his  pillow,  he  felt 
more  than  ever  how  entirely  he  must  depend  upon  his  own 
steady  legions,  and  his  own  unshaken  resolve. 

When  upon  the  2l8t  of  July  Cuesta  passed  through  Oropesa, 
Sir  Arthur  in  turn  drew  out  the  British  army ;  and  the  brave 
old  man  (for  with  all  his  faults,  prejudices,  and  obstinacy,  he 
was  brave  as  an  aged  lion),  looked  upon  the  firm  battalions  of 
the  English  with  an  admiration  he  could  not  repress. 

Victor,  after  being  joined  by  his  rear-guard  under  Latour- 
Maubourg,  showed  no  disposition  to  quit  his  ground  on  the  Al- 
berche.  He  was  in  position  behind  that  river  witli  only  20,000 
men.  The  stream  was  fordable,  and  both  his  right  and  centre 
ky  open  to  attack.  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  was  eager  to  avail 
himself  of  the  advantage  offered  by  this  strange  temerity.  An 
attack  was  agreed  upon  for  the  morning  of  the  23d  ;  but  when 
the  English  general  came  to  the  quarters  of  Cuesta  to  arrange 
the  details  of  the  attack,  the  old  man  was  gone  to  bed,  and  not 
to  be  disturbed.  At  three  in  the  morning  the  British  columns 
were  under  arms,  but  Cuesta  was  not  to  be  spoken  with  till 
seven  o'clock,  and  then  refused  to  join  in  tlie  attack ;  offering, 
among  other  reasons,  his  objection  to  fight  upon  a  Sunday  ! — a 
strange  objection,  which  even  the  sound  sense  of  a  converted 
chief  in  one  of  the  islands  of  Polynesia  not  many  years  ago 
forbade  him  to  entertain ;  as  if  a  struggle  on  the  sabbath  day 
against  those  who  had  desecrated  the  altars  of  Spain,  and 
stained  her  heartlis  with  blood,  was  not  a  permitted  alid  a  sacred 
duty. 

Tliroughout  tlie  whole  of  the  23d  Victor  remained  quiet  It 
has  been  thought  tliat  he  maintained  a  secret  correspondence 
with  some  traitor  in  tlie  Spanish  camp,  and  was  thus  advised 
that  no  attack  would  take  place. 

Cuesta,  however,  was  prevailed  upon  to  agree  to  an  attack 
for  the  morning  of  the  24th ;  and,  having  proposed  to  the  Eng- 
lish general  to  make  a  reconnoissance  of  the  French  position, 
the  old  gentleman  arrived  in  a  cumbrous  coach  and  six  at  the 
appointed  place,  to  the  surprise  of  Sir  Arthur  and  of  his  active 
stafT 

The  allies  were  in  motion  before  the  dawn ;  but,  when  they 
reached  the  Alberche,  not  a  French  soldier  was  to  be  seen : 
Victor  had  retired  in  the  night  on  the  Toledo  road  to  Torrijos. 
'I'iie  direction  of  his  retreat,  and  his  abandonment  of  tlie  Mad 


136  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

rid  road,  was  probably  decided  by  the  movements  of  Sir  Robert 
Wilson,  who  had  reached  Escalona  on  the  23d ;  a  town  only 
eight  leagues  from  Madrid,  and  in  rear  of  Victor. 

There  is,  however,  no  doubt  that  he  would  have  declined 
engaging  under  such  disadvantageous  and  dangerous  circum- 
stances at  all  events ;  and  it  is  certain  that  he  was  fully  informed 
on  the  evening  of  the  23d  of  the  intention  to  attack  him. 

Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  was  mortified  but  not  surprised  to  find 
that  the  enemy  had  decamped.  He  knew  that  to  jmrsue  an 
army  determined  on  retreat,  and  resolved  upon  declining  battle, 
was  never  wise  without  the  situation  of  the  pursuer  was  such 
that  he  could  command  supplies  and  resources,  and  be  enabled 
to  maintain  every  step  in  advance  which  might  be  taken : — he 
was  not  supplied — he  was  leagued  with  an  obstinate  and  intrac- 
table old  man ;  fearless,  indeed,  in  his  own  person  of  the  shock 
of  battle,  but  as  ignorant  of  the  conduct  of  war  as  one  of  his 
own  mules. 

Now,  therefore.  Sir  Arthur  repeated  his  former  declaration, 
tiiat  beyond  the  Albercke  he  would  not  move,  and,  moreover, 
threatened,  that  if  his  wants,  representations,  and  suggestions 
for  the  public  good  were  thus  continually  disregarded  by  the 
supreme  junta,  and  the  authorities  of  Spain  military  and  civil 
to  whom  he  was  referred,  he  would  withdraw  from  Spain  alto- 
gether. 


CHAP.  XV. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  TALAVERA.  —  THE  ARRIVAL  OF  SOULT  AT  PLASENCIA. 

THE     MOVEMENTS     OF     SIR     ARTHUR     WELLESLEY. THE     SPANIARDS 

BEATEN    AT    ARZOBISKO. VAXEGAS    DEFEATED    AT    ALMONACID. 

Intelligence  reached  Madrid  on  the  22d  of  July  that  the 
allies  were  at  Talavera,  in  front  of  Victor,  and_^that  a  body  of 
thBTn,""under"Sir  Robert  Wilson,  had  penetrated "loTSicalona, 
Joseph  sent  instantly  to  Soult,  who  had  already  "assembled  his 
army  in  the  vicinity  of  Salamanca,  and  directed  him  to  march 
upon  Plasencia ;  a  plan  recommended  and  urged  by  Soult  him- 
self, and  originated,  by  Napoleon.  Ttwill  be  seen  how  much 
Wellesley  and  his  army  were  in  the  thouglits  of  the  Emperor, 
by  the  fact  of  his  having  written  a  private  dispatch  to  marshal 
Soult  from  Ratisbon,  the  imperial  head-quarters,  directing  him 
to  concentrate  the  second,  the  fifth,  and  sixth  corps,  to  assume 
the  command  of  them,  and  to  act  with  vigor  against  the  English 
army.  "  Wellesley,"  said  Napoleon,  "  will  probably  advance  by_ 
theTagiis  against  Madrid.: \in  that  case,  pass  the'fhourilains, 
fall  upon  his  flank  and  rear,  and  crush  him."     It  is  worthy  of 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  137 

remark,  that  Napoleon  foresaw  the  line  of  Wellesley's  opera- 
tiQQS ;  now,  if  it  was  fkulty,  how  came  he  to  regard  it  as  proba- 
ble that  the  man  whose  ability  and  decision  had  already  extorted 
his  admiration  would  adopt  that  line  ?  Because  he  felt,  we  say 
he  intuitively  felt,  that  it  would  have  been  his  own ;  because  he 
knew  that  Wellesley  could  not  possibly  calculate  upon  the 
French  making  so  large  a  sacrifice  of  territory  in  the  north,  and 
giving  up  so  much  ground  as  they  must  do,  to  act  against  hira 
from  that  quarter  in  any  formidable  mass ;  and  because  the  con- 
centration of  three  corps  of  tlie  army,  under  the  supreme  com- 
mand of_Soulti  was  not  a  measure  to  be  expected,  without,  as 
was  the  case,  an  express  authority  from  the  emperor ;  finally, 
.4-bpcftugg  it  was  the  only  promising  line  of-Ofleagive  operatiops 
then  open;  and  who  so  sure  to  adopt  the  offensive,  as  the  man 
who  haJ  lately  thrown  himself  across  the  broad  Douro,  in  the 
face  of  a  hostile  army  ]  On  the  10th  of  July  the  British  ad- 
vance to  Plasencia  was  made  known  to  Soult,  and  he  then 
directed  Ney  to  marcli  upon  Zamora,  with  the  sixth  corps,  leav- 
ing the  dragoons  of  general  Fournier  to  cover  Astorga  and  Leon. 
The  marshal  at  this  time  projected  the  immediate  siege  of  Ciudad 
Rodrigo,  having  satisfied  himself  that  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley 
meant  to  operate  by  the  line  of  theJTftgus,  and  this  plan  he 
strongly  urged  upon  the  king.  It  vras  approved  by  the  king, 
but  not  assisted ;  for  he  could  not  meet  those  demands  of  Soult, 
a  compliance  with  which  was  imperatively  necessary  to  the 
undertaking.  Upon  the  other  hand,  he  rather  inclined  to  the 
wish  that  Soult  would  detach  10,000  men  to  strengthen  Keller- 
man  and  Bonnet,  and  enable  them  to  seize  and  maintain  the 
Asturias.  Against  this  division  of  force  Soult  remonstrated. 
He  ])ushed  back  the  duke  del  Parque  upon  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  and 
thus  found  that  Sir  Arthur  VVellefiley  had  already  reached  Pla- 
sencia. He  now¥roiight  Mortier  with  the  fifth  corps  to  Sala- 
manca, and,  at  the  very  time  that  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  was 
crossing  the  Tiotnr,  to  advance  iipon  Talavf^m  fiOOOO  ihph 
were  already  Collcctid  by  Soult  to  " pass  the  mountains,  to  fall 
upon  his  fl;ink,  ami  inisli  him" — but  he  was  not  crushed. 

When  kirtjif  .losipii  had  sent  permission  to  Soult  to  advance 
upon  Plasencia,  li-  (juitted  Madrid  with  his  guards  and  the 
reserve  to  join  Victor.  Sebastiani,  who  had  been  watching 
Vanegas  near  Damyel,  easily  blinding  tliat  general,  returned 
to  Toledo  by  forced  marches ;  lefl  3000  men  there  to  engage 
the  attention  of  Vane^;  and  marched  with  the  main  body  of 
his  coriw  to  join  the  kmg  and  Victor.  Their  junction  was  suc- 
cessfully efi(!cted  on  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  July.  The 
French  force  thus  concentrated  behind  the  river  Guadarama, 
I  mounted  to  near  50,000  combatants,  and  ninety  pieces  of  artil- 
lery. 

M2 


138  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

When,  upon  the  24th,  Victor  had  retired  from  the  Alberche, 
Cuesta  pursued  him ;  but  the  old  man,  who  had  turned  a  deaf 
ear  to  the  admonitions  of  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  discovered, 
upon  the  26tli,  that  the  French  had  notliing  farther  from  their 
thoughts  than  flight.  Sir  Arthur,  though  resolute  not  to  pass 
the  Alberche  with  his  army,  had^oreseen  the  probable  course 
of  affairs,  and  had  sent  general  SlTEfbroolce,  with  the  whole  of 
the  cavalry  and  two  divisions  of  infantry,  across  that  river, 
directing  him  to  march  to  Cazalegas.  From  this  point  he  could 
effectually  support  the  Spaniards  on  their  return,  and  could 
communicate  with  the  troops  under  Sir  Robert  Wilson  at  E&- 
calona. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  26th,  on  the  morning  of  which  day 
Cuesta  had  commenced  his  retreat,  the  French  dragoons  passed 
the  Guadarama,  drove  the  Spanish  horse  from  Torrijos,  and  pur- 
sued them  to  Alcabon.  Here  they  found  a  division  of  Spanish 
infantry  with  guns,  under  general  Zayas,  drawn  out  upon  the 
plain ;  and  the  Spanish  cavalry,  to  the  amount  of  2000,  took 
post  by  their  side  in  order  of  battle.  Latour-Maubourg,  with 
his  steady  dragoons,  was  already  advancing  upon  them,  regard- 
less of  their  cannonade,  when  a  column  of  French  infantry 
coming  up,  the  Spaniards  broke  suddenly,  and  fled  in  confusion 
towards  St.  OUalla.  The  duke  of  Albuquerque  arriving  upon 
the  field  at  this  moment  of  disorder,  with  3000  Spanish  horse, 
checked  the  pursuit  of  the  French  dragoons ;  and  it  is  more 
than  probable  he  thus  saved  the  Spanish  army  from  one  of  those 
signal  defeats,  which  were  the  common  result  of  such  a  panic  as 
had  then  possessed  one  division,  and  might  soon  have  infected 
others.  The  troops  of  general  Sherbrooke  marching  out  of  Ca- 
zalegas took  up  a  position  to  favor  the  retreat  of  the  Spaniards  ; 
and  behind  those  firm  battalions  the  Spanish  divisions  recovered, 
in  some  degree,  their  lost  order.  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  already 
in  the  front,  saw  plainly  that  the  French  were  resolved  upon  a 
battle ;  and  he  implored  Cuesta  to  retire  to  Talavera,  and  take 
up  the  strong  and  defensive  part  of  that  position,  in  which  he 
thought  to  give  the  enemy  a  meeting.  The  old  Spaniard,  brave, 
proud,  and  obstinate,  refused ;  said  he  would  not  go  back  one 
mile  further,  but  fight  where  he  was.  At  this  very  time  his 
army  was  heaped  together  in  a  low,  flat,  indefensible,  piece  of 
ground.  They  had  lost  that  very  morning,  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  above  all,  in  missing,  near  3000  men ;  and  they  lay  a 
ready  prey  to  the  imperial  eagle.  Most  happily  for  them,  the 
French  halted  at  St.  OUalla ;  and  their  cavalry,  exxept  a  few 
pickets,  came  not  in  sight  of  the  allies  until  the  morning  of  the 
27th.  Cuesta  now  yielded  to  the  earnest  representations  and 
anxious  entreaties  of  Sir  Arthur ;  and  is  said  to  have  toasted 
to  his  staff,  that  "  he  had  first  made  the  Englishman  go  down 


THE  DUKE  OF  VVELLINGTOV.  1 39 

upon  his  knees ;"  thus  characterizing  the  warm  solicitations  of 
the  English  general.  The  old  Spaniard  wanted  discernment  to 
perceive  that  it  was  the  condescension  of  a  strong  mind  to  a 
weak  one ;  it  was  the  pleading  of  the  skilful  physician  with  the 
moody  patient. 

The  position  chosen  by  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  for  the  battle 
■'^vhich  he  saw  was  at  hand  had  a  peculiar -end  remarkable  adap- 
tationJ;oJhe^character  of.  the,  forces  which^COJCRP^ed  the  allied 
army. 

The  town  of  Talavera  is  built  close  to  the  river  Tagus :  in 
front  of  it  are  many  olive-grounds  and  inclosures,  alike  calcu- 
lated to  cover  the  troops  appointed  to  its  defence,  and  to  conceal 
tlieir  dispositions. 

With  the  town,  then,  as  the  fixed  point  on  his  extreme  right, 
the  British  general  took  up  a  line  which  extended  about  two 
miles,  and  was  terminated  on  the  left  by  a  commanding  hilLi 
The  lialf  of  tliis  line  was  confided  to  the  Spaniards: — they  lay* 
securely  disposed ;  their  right  leaning  on  the  river,  and  their 
left  resting  upon  a  large  mound  where  a  field-work  had  been 
commenced  but  not  completed.  Their  front  was  protected 
thoroughly  by  the  difficult  nature  of  the  ground ;  by  ditches, 
embankments,  mud  walls,  and  other  obstacles,  which  make  a 
position  v/ell-nigh  impregnable.  To  defend  this  front,  they 
were  drawn  up  in  two  close  lines  with  their  own  cavalry  in  re- 
serve; while,  at  no  great  distance  behind  the  mound  was  a 
brigade  of  Britisli  cavalry.  The  right  of  the  British  infantry 
touched  tlic  Spanish  left,  and  stretched  its  bold  array  along  the 
naked  and  open  country  to  the  hill  on  the  extreme  left ;  beyond 
this  hill  there  was  a  deep  valley,  which  separated  it  from  a 
mountain  of  the  Gata  cliain;  and  in  front  of  it  was  a  difficult 
ravine. 

The  division  of  general  Campbell  was  on  the  British  right ; 
next  to  him  stood  Sherbrooke ;  then  came  Mackenzie's  ground,  ■ 
held  for  a  while  by  part  of  Sherbrooke's  division;  and  the 
height  upon  the  left  named  above  as  tlie  key  of  tlie  position  was ' 
observed  by  general  Hill.  Part  of  tlie  British  cavalry  at  this 
period  was  with  general  Mackenzie  in  advance.  The  division 
of  tiiat  general  was  posted  in  the  wood  near  Casa  des  Salmas  j 
and  a  brigade  of  light  cavalry  on  the  plain  near  him. 

About  tliree  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  27th,  the  French 
light  infantry  who  headed  the  march  of  the  enemy  came 
through  the  wood  so  suddenly  upon  the  British  posts  at  this 
1  place  that  they  were  surprised.  The  hostile  coliimns  following 
ft  close  upon  their  voltigeurs,  attacked  one  brigade  of  gener^ 
WL  Mackenzie's  division  with  so  great  impetuosity,  that  they  were 
B[  thrown  into  disorder,  driven  from  tiieir  ^und,  and  separated 
^f. from  the  other;  but  this  last  formed  with  such  rapidity  and 

r 


140  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

Steadiness,  that  the  enemy  was  soon  checked ;  and,  covering 
the  retreat  of  the  other  corps,  this  brigade  fell  back  over  the 
plain,  supported  by  two  of  cavalry  in  the  finest  order,  and  took 
up  ground  in  the  main  position.  The  British  cavalry  now  took 
post  on  a  rising  ground  in  the  valley  upon  the  extreme  left, 
being  a  little  retired  to  the  rear.  In  the  affair  at  the  Casa  de 
Salinas,  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  had  a  very  narrow  escape  of  be- 
ing made  prisoner ;  he  being  in  the  Casa  at  the  moment  of  the 
surprise. 

The  French,  following  up  their  movements,  advanced  in 
strength  to  the  left  of  our  position  :  they  took  up  ground  on  a 
hill  over-against  that  which  was  afterwards  the  post  of  general 
Hill,  but  was  at  the  moment  occupied  by  the  brigade  of  general 
Mackenzie's  division,  which,  under  the  command  of  colonel 
Donkin,  had  just  made  so  fine  a  retreat.  The  enemy  opened  a 
cannonade  upon  colonel  Donkin,  and  there  was  a  partial  action 
along  the  whole  front  of  the  line.  The  French  sending  their 
light  cavalry,  supported  by  voltigeurs,  to  feel  out  the  true  posi- 
tion of  the  Spaniards,  alarmed  them  into  a  loud,  general,  and 
useless  discharge  of  musketry,  in  the  very  midst  of  which,  a 
body  of  about  5C)00,  for  no  discoverable  reason,  broke  their  ranks 
and  fled  to  the  rear,  without  having  been  attacked  at  all,  and 
without  being  pursued.  The  greater  part  of  them,  however, 
were  rallied,  and  brought  back  to  the  position  which  they  had 
deserted  during  the  night,  and  Cuesta  executed  several  officers 
and  men  of  this  division  after  the  battle,  selecting  them  by  lot 
— a  punishment  alike  barbarous  and  useless.  As  the  shades  of 
twilight  fell  upon  the  two  hosts  and  clouded  the  field,  the 
French,  who  had  only  been  trifling  with  the  Spaniards,  made  a 
sudden  and  fierce  assault  upon  that  height  on  the  left,  which 
has  been  already  spoken  of  as  the  key  of  the  position,  and 
which  was  held  at  the  moment  by  the  brigade  of  colonel  Don- 
kin. The  colonel  repulsed  them  in  front ;  but  liis  brigade  was 
too  weak  to  defend  all  points ;  and  they  succeeded  in  turning 
him  on  the  left,  and  crowning  the  summit  behind  him. 

General  Hill  was  moving  up  to  reinforce  colonel  Donkin,  and 
was  giving  orders  to  the  colonel  of  the  48th  regiment,  when  he 
was  fired  at  from  this  summit ;  and  not  doubting  that  the  shots 
proceeded  from  some  British  stragglers,  who  mistook  the  direc- 
tion of  their  fire,  he  rode  smartly  up,  accompanied  by  his  bri- 
gade-major, Fordyce,  to  stop  them.  These  two  were  instantly 
surrounded  by  the  enemy :  Fordyce  was  killed  on  the  spot ;  and 
the  hand  of  a  French  grenadier  was  already  on  the  bridle  of 
Hill's  charger ;  but  the  general  spurred  his  horse  hard,  broke 
away,  and  galloped  off.  Directing  the  wounded  beast  down- 
wards, he  met  a  part  of  the  29th ;  and  turning,  led  them  up 
with  uncalculating  courage  to  the  charge.    The  old  29th  did 


» 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  141 

not  disappoint  liim :  they  won  back  the  summit  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet.  But  scarcely  had  the  general  placed  the  29th,  1st 
battalion  48th,  and  1st  battalion  of  detachments  in  position  by 
the  side  of  colonel  Donkin's  brigade,  ere  a  heavy  mass  of  French 
infantry  again  advanced ;  and  a  violent  attack,  of  which  the 
first  was  but  a  prelude,  burst  upon  them.  The  fire  flashed  red 
upon  the  night ;  and  was  delivered  so  close,  that  the  combatants 
discerned  each  other's  formation  within  a  few  paces.  The 
British  having  poured  in  their  deadly  volley,  rushed  on  with 
their  bayonets,  broke  the  dark  column  and  drove  it  down. 
While  this  attack  was  going  forwards,  a  false  one,  but  of  some 
liveliness,  was  made  against  the  German  Legion.  The  loss  of 
the  British  in  the  affair  at  Salinas  amounted  to  about  400  ;  and 
the  combat  upon  the  hill  at  dusk  must  have  cost  full  400  more, 
besides  many  valuable  officers.  The  British  lay  upon  their  arms 
all  night :  the  dragoons  by  their  saddled  steeds ;  and  the  infantry 
either  close  to  the  pile  of  arms,  or  with  the  trusty  firelock  in 
the  hand.  It  was  a  night  of  watchfulness  and  alarm,  and  of 
Budden  and  random  firings,  especially  in  the  Spanish  lines. 
About  dawn  the  enemy  again  made  dispositions  to  assault  the 
hill.  From  a  corresponding  height  opposite  they  opened  a 
furious  fire  of  artillery,  which  bore  not  only  upon  tlie  jwint  of 
attack,  but  on  the  whole  British  line ;  many  of  the  guns  being 
pointed  towards  the  centre  and  right  of  it  Under  cover  of 
this  terrible  fire  two  strong  columns  were  formed  and  led  against 
the  British  left.  They  advanced  rapid  and  firm,  and  ascended 
the  steep  and  rugged  face  of  the  hill  with  a  bcaruig  the  most 
resolute.  Again  and  again  they  pressed  to  within  a  few  paces 
of  the  summit,  and  struggled  hard  for  a  footing,  but  as  often 
were  they  repulsed  by  the  close  volleys  and  quick  charges  of 
the  gallant  regiments  under  Hill ;  and  at  last  they  retreated  al- 
together, leaving  the  ground  on  which  they  had  fought  covered 
with  slain.  The  loss  of  the  English  was  very  considerable ; 
and  general  Hill  himself  was  severely  wounded.  Tiiere  was 
a  pause  in  the  work  of  death  ;  for  three  hours  after  this  repulse 
the  enemy  made  no  movement ;  the  troops  on  both  sides  reposed 
and  refreshed.  The  British  fared  scantily  enough.  Durmg 
this  pause  the  wounded  were  removed  to  the  rear;  and  it  is  not 
unworthy  of  mention,  that  at  a  brook,  which  ran  between  the 
two  armies,  soldiers  of  both  went  down  to  drink,  and  looked 
each  other  in  the  face  friendly,  with  that  mutual  admiration 
which  the  brave  feel  towards  those  foes  who  valiantly  withstand 
them. 

Soon  after  mid-day,  the  FVench  infantry  again  stood  to  their 
arms,  their  cavalry  mounted,  and  their  troops  were  everywhere 
in  motion.  By  two  o'clock  the  di8jx>sitions  of  the  French  gen- 
erals were  completed ;  and  four  columns  of  attack,  destined  to 


142  MILITARY  MEMOIKS  OP 

bear  with  all  their  power  upon  the  English  army  alone,  were 
assembled  at  their  allotted  stations.  Eighty  pieces  of  artillery 
opened  their  dread  thunder  upon  the  British  line,  and  lacerated 
the  firm  ranks  which  ever  as  they  did  so  closed  upon  the  chasms. 
Under  this  fire,  the  French  columns,  with  clouds  of  skirmishers 
in  their  front,  pressed  forwards  to  the  battle.  One  of  these  feU 
upon  the  division  of  general  Campbell,  which  joined  the  Spanish 
left.  It  was  received  with  such  steadiness,  that  until  close  to 
the  English  regiments  not  a  shot  was  fired  on  it;  but  then  came 
the  volley,  fatal  and  true,  followed  by  the  firm  charge,  by  which 
they  were  effectually  repulsed.  Campbell  took  from  them  ten 
guns  in  battery,  which  they  attempted  to  recover,  but  they 
were  charged  in  flank  with  great  spirit  by  a  regiment  of  Spanish 
horse.  Two  Spanish  battalions  assisted  general  Campbell  in 
the  repulse  of  this  attack  with  much  zeal  and  bravery.  Thus 
the  British  right  was  victorious  and  secure.  Upon  the  left,  a 
division  of  the  enemy's  infantry,  supported  by  cavalry,  advanced 
up  the  great  valley  to  turn  the  hill,  already  so  fiercely  disputed. 
Beyond  it,  another  body  was  marcliing  to  occupy  the  mountain. 
For  this  last  movement  Sir  Arthur  was  already  provided,  having 
obtained  from  Cuesta  in  the  morning  a  division  of  Spanish  in- 
fantry, to  be  posted  there  in  observation.  The  principal  part 
of  the  British  cavalry  being  at  the  head  of  the  valley,  he  sent 
orders  to  general  Anson's  brigade,  composed  of  the  23d  light 
dragoons  and  the  1st  regiment  King's  German  Legion,  to  charge 
the  French  infantry,  and  check  their  advance.  The  orders 
were  promptly  and  bravely,  but  not  intelligently,  obeyed. 
Neither  was  the  true  moment  taken  by  this  brigade,  nor  was 
it  kept  in  hand  as  it  advanced ;  so  that  coming  upon  the  brink 
of  a  ravine,  which  lay  between  the  assailants  and  the  assailed, 
the  formation  of  the  squadrons  was  broken,  and  the  23d,  being 
in  full  career,  plunged  down  into  the  ravine,  receiving  as  they 
did  so  t!ie  murderous  fire  of  tlie  French  squares,  and  fell  over 
each  other  in  wild  disorder ;  but  the  gallant  men,  whose  horses 
yet  kept  their  feet,  spurred  strong  up  the  opposite  bank,  and 
major  Frederick  Ponsonby  rallied  and  led  them  onwards,  nothing 
daunted  by  this  perilous  mischance.  They  passed  between  the 
French  squares  under  a  hot  fire,  and  fell  upon  a  brigade  of 
French  chasseurs ;  but  their  combat  was  not  with  these  alone, 
for  some  Polish  lancers  and  Westphalian  horse  rode  also  against 
them ;  and  the  heroic  23d,  leaving  more  than  half  their  num- 
bers on  the  field,  efiected  the  escajje  of  their  brave  remnant  by 
passing  again  at  speed  through  the  intervals  of  the  French 
columns,  and  making  for  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  where  the 
Spanisli  division  of  Bassecourt  was  in  observation.  Neverthe- 
less, though  these  bold  horsemen  were  overpowered,  yet  was 
their  heroism  rewarded  ;  for  the  enemy  desisted  from  their  at- 


► 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  143 

tempt  to  turn  the  British  left.  Wliile  these  things  were  going 
forward,  the  hill  had  also  been  again  attacked  in  front,  but  in 
vain. 

The  two  French  columns  which  assailed  the  English  divisions 
in  the  centre,  had  a  momentary  success ;  for  though  they  were 
at  first  resolutely  met,  and  beaten  back,  yet  the  guards  followed 
them  too  hastily,  too  far,  and  with  too  little  order.  The  enemy 
saw  this,  faced  about,  and  drove  the  guards  in  turn,  pressing 
their  exposed  flank  most  sorely,  while,  at  the  same  moment, 
the  German  Legion  was  most  roughly  handled  and  gave  ground. 
From  the  hill  upon  the  left.  Sir  Arthur  had  seen  the  loose  ad- 
vance of  the  guards,  and  he  ordered  down  a  regiment  to  their 
support.  The  4Sth  regiment,  commanded  by  colonel  Donellan, 
performed  this  serv'ice  with  that  steadiness  which  is  the  triumph 
of  discipline.  The  guards  and  Germans  rallied  like  brave  men. 
A  brigade  of  cavalry  was  moved  rapidly  up  from  tlie  second 
line,  and  came  opportunely  to  their  support.  The  British  artil- 
lery played  fast  and  fierce  upon  the  enemy's  flanks ;  and  now, 
upon  all  sides,  they  drew  off"  and  gave  up  the  battle.  They 
had  e.xhausted  all  their  efforts.  They  had  made  no  impression 
on  the  British  line  of  battle,  and  their  slain  lay  spread  along  its 
gallant  front  in  fearful  numbers.  Their  retreat  to  their  position 
was  covered  by  their  cannon,  and  conducted  in  good  order. 
About  six  in  the  evening,  the  firing  ceased ;  scarcely  a  dropping 
shot  was  to  be  heard  ;  and  the  hostile  armies  lay  each  upon  the 
ground  which  they  had  occupied  in  the  morning.  The  loss  of 
the  British  exceeded  60(K)  men,  including  those  who  fell  in  the 
combats  of  the  27th.  Tiie  loss  of  the  French  was  computed  by 
themselves  at  10,(KK)  but  otiiers  again  reduce  it  below  eight, 
and  they  left  seventeen  guns  to  the  victorious  English,  taken  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet  The  Spaniards  returned  1200  killed 
and  wounded,  and  such  of  them  as  were  engaged  behaved  ad- 
mirably. Two  Spanish  gims  upon  our  left  were  excellently 
served.  The  two  battalions  which  fought  upon  tlie  right  of 
Campbell's  division  did  their  duty  with  ardor ;  and,  at  the  same 
point,  one  of  their  cavalry  regiments  charged  with  gallantry 
and  success.  But,  nevertheless,  the  character,  and  connx>sition 
of  the  Spanish  army,  as  a  whole,  and  the  weakness  of  the 
British,  which  was  not  only  thinned  by  death,  but  feint  with 
exhaustion  from  want  of  proper  and  sufficient  food,  and  without 
any  supply  or  means  of  transport  for  a  for\Kartl  movement,  ren- 
dered pursuit  impossible.  The  BritisTT'passSr  the  damp  and 
chilly  night  upon  the  field,  where  they  had  fought,  amid  the 
dead  ana  the  tlying.  As  many  of  the  woundeff  as  tliere  had 
been  time  to  remove  were  put  into  hospital  in  the  convents  of 
Talavera. 

A  melancholy  scene  was  presented  soon  after  the  close  of  the 


144  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

action.  In  one  part  of  the  field  where  the  wounded  lay  thick, 
the  dry  grass  took  fire,  and  the  flames  spread  with  such  fierce 
and  terrific  swiftness,  that  many  of  the  brave  men,  who  lay 
helpless,  and  wet  in  their  own  blood,  perished  by  fire.  On  the 
following  morning,  the  British  army  was  joined  by  general 
Crawford's  brigade,  from  Lisbon,  consisting  of  those  excellent 
regiments,  the  43d,  52d,  and  95th.  They  had  accomplished 
sixty-two  miles  in  twenty-six  hours,  in  the  hottest  season  of  the 
year,  burdened  with  their  knapsacks  and  ammunition.  It  ia 
well  observed  by  colonel  Napier,  "  that  had  the  historian  Gib- 
bon known  of  such  a  march,  he  would  have  spared  his  sneof 
about  the  delicacy  of  modern  soldiers."  During  the  29th,  30th, 
and  31st,  the  enemy  disappeared. 

There  were  not  wanting  cold  men  in  England  to  deny  that 
their  countrymen  who  fought  at  Talavera  had  won  a  victory. 
The  truth  is,  it  was  a  very  great  and  a  very  important  victory. 
The  future  fate  of  the  war  hung  upon  the  issue  ofthairKtniggle. 
Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  on  that  great  and  mcnnorable  day,  think- 
ing calmly  amid  the  thunder  of  the  battle,  saw  on  every  side 
what  was  wanted,  and  where,  and  when ;  and  superadding  to 
the  dauntless  bravery  of  his  men  his  own  moral  courage,  he 
achieved  a  great  success,  and  won  at  his  sword's  point  the  coro- 
net which  his  king  bestowed. 

We  have  always  regarded  this  action  as  one  that  saved  the 
cause,  and  prolonged  the  struggle.  The  time  gained  by  this 
severe  blow  against  the  French  was  the  invaluable  and  precious 
consequence  of  the  battle ;  but  for  it,  Portugal  would  have  been 
uavaded  that  year,  and  could  not  have  been  defended. 

We  must  turn,  however,  to  the  consideration  of  those  circum- 
stances, which,  by  their  unhappy  and  vexatious  workuig,  shadowed 
over  for  a  time  the  glory  of  this  success,  and  colored  the  affairs 
of  the  Peninsula  with  a  gloom  whicli  begat  despondency  in 
many  bosoms.  First,  then,  the  battle  of  Talavera,  ably  directed, 
bravely  fought,  and  nobly  won,  weis  barren  of  immediate  results 
favorable  to  our  arms,  and  was,  in  fact,  followed  by  much  dis- 
tress and  perplexity.  It  is  Imown,  indeed,  tliat  the  king  was 
greatly  alarmed  for  Madrid,  and  that  Victor  was.  -greatly  dis- 
turbed by  the  reappearance  of  Sir  Robert  Wilson  at  Escalona, 
who  during  the  action  had  moved  near  to  Cazalegas ;  but  they 
were  frightened  with  very  little  reason :  the  British  could  not 
pursue  them.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  Sir  Arthur  could 
procure  nourishment  and  assistance  for  his  wounded ;  and,  after 
all,  scarce  sufficient  to  supjxjrt  them. 

On  the  30th  information  was  received  by  Sir  Arthur  that 
12,000  rations  had  been  ordered  for  a  French  corps  on  the  road 
from  Alba  de  Tormes  towards  Bejar.  This  road  traverses  the 
mountains  to  Plasencia  by  the  Puerto  de  Bancs ;  a  pass  which 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  145 

Sir  Arthur  had  thouglit  effectually  secured  before  he  advanced 
from  Plasencia.  But  under  actual  circumstances  the  news  was 
embanassing ;  nevertheless,  the  general  trusted  that  the  troops 
in  the  Puerto  might  make  some  defence  if  the  enemy  actually 
advanced ;  and  was  not,  indeed,  without  hope  that  the  intelli- 
gence of  his  success  against  Victor  and  the  king  might  deter 
5iem  from  prosecuting  tlieir  movement  Still  lie  urged  Cuesta 
to  send  a  Spanish  division  of  some  strength  to  that  point  with- 
out loss  of  time.  Cuesta  refused,  and  proposed  that  Sir  Robert 
Wilson  should  march  there ;  though  he  was  sensible  how  very 
important  was  tlie  presence  of  that  officer  at  Escalona. 

it  was  not  till  tiie  morning  of  the  2d  that  Sir  Arthur  could 
prevail  witli  his  obstinate  ally  to  detach  general  Bassecourt  witli 
a  division  towards  Banos.  On  that  same  day  intelligence  ar- 
rived tliat  the  enemy  had  entered  Plasencia ;  and  tliat  the  mar- 
quis de  la  Reyna,  whose  two  battalions  only  consisted  of  600 
men,  with  twenty  rounds  of  ammunition,  had  abandoned  the 
pass  of  Banos  without  firing  a  sliot ;  and  had  hastened  on  from 
Plasencia  to  Ahnaraz,  announcing  his  intention  to  remove  the 
bridge. 

Cuesta  now  proposed  to  Sir  Artlmr  that  half  of  the  army 
should  march  to  the  rear  to  oppose  the  enemy,  while  the  other 
half  should  niaintain  tlie  post  of  Talavera.  The  general  re- 
plied, that  if  by  half  the  army  he  meant  half  of  each  army,  to 
such  an  arrangement  he  could  not  consent ;  that  he  would  eitlier 
go  or  stay  with  the  whole  British  army,  but  would  not  divide 
the  force  witli  whicJi  he  had  been  intrusted. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  tlierefore.  Sir  Arthur  marched  from 
Talavera  to  Oropesa,  intending  to  unite  with  Bassecourt's  divis* 
ion,  and  to  fight  the  enemy  at  Plasencia,  whom  he  estimated  at 
15,000  men. 

At  five  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  this  day  he  heard  that  the 
JVench  had  advanced  from  Plasencia  to  Navalmoral,  and  were 
between  the  allies  and  the  bridge  of  Almaraz.  An  hour  after- 
wards came  letters  from  Cuesta,  to  say,  that  from  intercepted 
dispatches  addressed  to  Soult,  it  appeared  that  marshal  was  at 
the  head  of  a  mucli  larger  force  than  Sir  Arthur  imagined ; 
that  the  French  were  again  advancing  in  his  front,  and  that 
he  should  break  up  from  Talavera  that  evening,  and  march 
to  join  the  British,  tliat  he  might  aid  them  in  the  approacliing 
contest 

This  sudden  abandonment  of  the  British  hospitals  exceedingly 
distressed  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley.  He  wrote  instantly  to  entreat 
Cuesta  to  hold  his  ground  till  tJie  morrow  at  all  events,  that  the 
British  wounded  might  if  poesible  be  removed ;  but  Cuesta  was 
already  on  his  way. 

The  position  of  the  allies  was  now  perilous:  on  the  one  side 

Vol.  I.  N 


146  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

were  30,000  French  troops  barring  up  the  valley  of  the  Tagus ; 
on  the  other,  no  doubt,  as  sr)on  as  Cuesta's  retreat  was  known, 
Victor  would  again  press  onwards;  and,  pfter  allowing  for  his 
late  losses,  and  for  a  corps  of  12,000  detached  to  observe  Vane- 
gas,  he  could  still  muster  25,000  combatants.  A  battle  fought 
with  these  armies  on  two  distinct  days,  and  in  two  separate 
fields  of  action,  might,  mdeed,  bring  deliverance;  but  to  do  so, 
both  must  be  successful ;  for  the  loss  of  either  would  be  imme- 
diate ruin,  there  being  no  retreat. 

Now,  could  any  confidence  have  been  placed  in  the  Spanish 
troops,  notwithstanding  the  exhaustion  and  fatigue  of  the  Brit- 
ish, this  would  doubtless  have  been  the  boldest  course,  and  suc- 
cess would  have  proved  a  surpassing  triumph;  but  for  this 
there  was  need  of  steadier  discipline  and  sterner  stufi"  than  the 
Spanish  camp  could  furnish.  Accordingly,  Sir  Arthur  came  to 
the  resolution  of  passing  the  bridge  of  Arzobispo,  and  taking  up 
a  line  of  defence  behind  the  Tagus,  before  the  French  could 
seize  the  Col  de  Mirabete,  and  cut  off  the  road  to  Truxillo  and 
Merida. 

This  plan  Cuesta  (who  embodied  in  his  own  person  all  the 
obstinacy  and  contradiction  which  writers  of  comedy  have  im- 
agined) as  usual  opposed,  and  vapored  about  fighting  at  Oropesa. 
The  British  general  told  him  that  he  miglit  act  as  ho  judged 
best;  but  the  British  army  should  not  be  sacrificed:  accordingly, 
orders  were  immediately  issued  for  the  marcli  of  the  British. 
He  led  them  across  the  Tagus  by  the  bridge  of  Arzobispo  on 
the  4th,  and  conductuig  them  by  Toralida  and  the  pass  of  Meza 
d'lbor  to  Deleytosa,  there  halted  them  in  a  position  favorable  for 
the  defence  of  the  passage  of  Almaraz,  and  having  a  clear  line 
of  retreat  to  the  frontier  of  Portugal. 

By  great  exertions,  and  by  tlie  sacrifice  of  much  baggage. 
Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  got  together  about  forty  cars  ;  and  with 
this  aid  about  2000  of  the  wounded  were  brought  off"  from 
Talavera,  while  about  1500  of  the  worst  cases,  whom  under  no 
circumstances  it  would  have  been  safe  or  humane  to  move, 
were  left  in  the  hospitals,  and  recommended  to  the  care  and  the 
attention  of  the  enemy. 

Cuesta  did  not  cross  the  river  till  the  5th ;  established  hun- 
self  with  the  main  body  at  Peralada  de  Garben,  and  left  a  di- 
vision of  infantry  at  Arzobispo,  together  with  all  the  cavalry  of 
Albuquerque.  Six  thousand  French  horse  and  a  brigade  of 
infantry  forded  the  river  about  two  o'clock  in  the  day  upon  the 
8th;  and  surprising  these  Spaniards  took  five  pieces  of  artillery 
and  about  400  prisoners,  and  drove  away  the  whole  force  in 
very  shameful  confusion.  Tlie  Spanish  foot  made  for  the 
mountains. 

On  the  11th  the  British  head-quarters  moved  to  Jaraicejo. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  147 

TWO  divisions  occupied  Almaraz  and  the  Puerto  do  Mirabete. 
The  main  body  of  the  army  was  cantoned  in  the  villages  round 
the  head-quarters ;  and  the  cavalry  were  sent  for  the  sake  of 
their  horses  to  the  city  of  TruxUlo.  At  the  same  time  the 
Spaniards  established  their  head-quarters  in  Deleytosa,  and  oc- 
cupied Meza  d'Ibor  and  Campillo.  Thus  the  allies  had  a  good 
defensive  line  upon  the  Tagus :  and  holding  as  they  did  the 
impregnable  passes  of  Meza  d'Ibor  and  the  Col  de  Mirabete, 
the  mere  power  of  passing  the  river  gave  the  enemy  no  advan- 
tage whatever ;  for  by  these  mountain  barriers  their  move- 
ments must  have  been  confined  to  the  narrow  space  upon  its 
banks. 

At  this  time  marshal  Bcresford  with  a  considerable  body  of 
Portuguese  troops  was  in  position  near  Zarza  Mayor;  and 
general  Catlin  Crawford,  with  four  British  regiments,  wtis  in 
communication  with  the  marshal  from  Castello  Branco. 

This  general  was  prepared  to  arrest  upon  the  frontier  any 
French  corps  which  should  attempt  a  passage  into  Portugal. 
The  confidence  of  Beresford  and  the  quietness  of  the  French 
in  Plasencia,  permitted  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  to  repose  without 
any  anxiety  in  his  present  position. 

Of  the  JVench  corps  from  the  north  all  that  at  this  time  waa 
accurately  known  was,  that  they  occupied  Plasencia  in  strength, 
sending  jKitrois  and  fiiraging  parties  to  the  vicinity  of  Coria; 
and  that  a  division  had  mcjved  to  the  Puerto  de  Bafios  to  inter- 
cept Sir  Robert  Wilson.  That  officer,  falling  lack  from  Esca- 
lona  upon  the  British  left,  and  being  too  late  to  retire  on  Arzo- 
bispo,  had  now  penetrated  to  Bafios,  through  the  mountains  by 
tlie  pass  of  Tomavacas,  and  he  awaited  this  attack.  Being 
witiiout  artillery,  and  his  force  weak  in  numbers  and  exliaustea 
by  long  and  severe  fatigues,  he  was  defeated  and  driven  from 
the  pass  by  the  French  of  Ney's  corps,  who  afterwards  continued 
their  march  to  Salamanca. 

Sir  Robert  Wilson  had  rendered  himself  most  useful  in  the 
command  of  the  Portuguese  and  Spaniards  with  which  he  had 
been  detached  throughout  this  campaign.  Before  the  battle  of 
Talavera  he  had  pushed  his  parties  almost  to  the  gates  of  Mad- 
rid, and  been  in  communication  with  that  city.  In  fact,  he 
would  have  entered  Madrid,  if  it  had  not  been  necessary  to  re- 
call him  when  the  general  engagement  was  expected.  He  was 
a  zealous  officer,  well  acquainted  with  the  country  in  which  he 
was  acting,  and  possessing  tlie  confidence  of  the  troops  which 
ho  commanded. 

Talavcm  was  now  again  in  the  possession  of  Victor;  and  it  is 
gratifying  t)  record  of  iiim,  that  he  treated  the  British  wounded 
with  great  attention  and  hnnmnity. 

On  the  12th  of  August  Cuesta  was  recalled  from  the  com- 


148  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

mand  of  the  Spanish  army,  and  it  devolved  upon  general  Eguia. 
This  was  well  pleasing  to  Sir  Arthur ;  for  a  more  obstinate,  in- 
tractable, incapable  old  man  than  Cuesta  could  scarce  be  found. 
He  never  agreed  to  any  thing  without  demurring,  and  to  few 
things  at  all.  He  was  never  willing  either  to  help  the  British 
wants  himself,  or  to  aid  them  with  his  authority  while  making 
their  own  exertions.  He  saw  our  wounded  without  transport ; 
and  though  the  Spanish  army  was  encumbered  with  carts  and 
conveyances,  yet  did  he  only  furnish  seven  cars  to  their  hos- 
pitals when  they  were  in  such  necessity  at  Talavera.  He 
thwarted  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  on  every  occasion ;  and  refused 
those  very  favors  which  a  soldier  and  a  patriot  should  have  felt 
himself  honored  in  bestowing  :  as,  for  example,  when  at  Tala- 
vera Sir  Arthur  applied  to  him  for  ninety  artillery  horses  or 
mules  to  supply  the  place  of  those  killed  in  the  action,  Cuesta, 
on  the  very  field  of  victory,  refused  them ;  while  at  the  same 
time  whole  trains  of  cumbrous  cars,  drawn  by  fine  cattle,  were 
in  the  Spanish  camp.  In  fact,  there  never  was  a  man  less  quali- 
fied than  Cuesta  to  command  an  army ;  nor  could  one  among 
all  the  Spanish  leaders  be  found  of  a  temper  less  suited  to  act 
in  concert  with  an  ally.  Nevertheless,  in  parting  from  this 
crabbed  veteran,  it  should  be  added,  there  were  about  him  re- 
deeming qualities.  He  was  brave,  faithful,  and  true ;  he  loved 
Spain;  he  hated  her  enemies;  and,  unhappily,  his  prejudices 
agamst  all  foreigners  were  so  strong,  that  England  and  her 
officers  came  in  for  their  share  of  his  suspicion,  jealousy,  and 
mistrust.  Moreover,  he  had  the  pride  and  wilfulness  of  age, 
and  bristled  up  not  only  at  every  attempt  to  control  his  move- 
ments, but  even  from  the  silken  leading-rein  of  persuasion  he 
would  start  and  break  away. 

We  turn  to  Vanegas : — his  army,  both  before  and  after  the 
battle  of  Talavera,  was  kept  in  a  state  of  shamefiil  inaction. 
Their  part  of  the  concerted  movements  against  Madrid  was 
never  fulfilled.  Vanegas  was  perplexed  by  orders  and  advice 
of  the  most  contradictory  and  irreconcilable  nature ;  but,  obey- 
ing the  secret  orders  of  the  junta,  he  delayed  iiis  march,  and 
changed  its  direction.  On  the  29th  he  was  at  Ocana,  with  his 
advance  at  Aranjuez ;  having  a  division  under  Lacy  in  front  of 
Toledo,  which  was  wasting  powder  and  time  in  a  useless  and 
harmless  cannonade  with  the  garrison.  His  posts  at  Aranjuez 
were  attacked  by  the  enemy  on  tlie  5th  of  August,  and  success- 
fully maintained.  Vanegas,  after  this,  retired  towards  the  Sierra 
Morena ;  but  suddenly  and  most  imprudently  changing  his  pur- 
pose, he  returned  towards  Toledo,  and  concentrated  his  army  at 
Almonacid  on  the  10th,  with  the  design  of  attacking  the  French 
upon  the  12th :  on  the  11th,  however,  Sebastiani  was  already  in 
front  of  his  position,  and  became  the  assailant.    The  action 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  149 

lasted  some  hours ;  there  was  a  great  deal  of  sharp  fighting ; 
and  many  of  the  Spanish  regiments,  both  flxit  and  horse,  be- 
haved in  a  manner  that  merited  success :  but  the  discipline  and 
the  nionctinvrcs  of  the  warlike  brigades  of  France  did  of  course 
prevail.  The  moment  came,  when  broken  formations  on  the 
one  side,  and  changes  of  direction  on  the  other,  required  that 
the  SiKiniards  should  manoeuvre  as  well  as  fight.  Confiision  of 
necessity  ensued  ;  the  disorder  could  not  be  repaired ;  they 
broke  and  dispersed  ;  and  again  the  sabres  of  French  horsemen 
ran  red  witli  the  blood  of  Spain.  Sebastian!  purchased  this 
victfjry  witli  the  loss  of  1500  good  soldiers.  That  of  Vanogas 
amounted  to  7(MHt  slain  and  captured;  and  he  led  away  his  dis- 
comfited battalions  to  a  position  of  strength  and  security  in  the 
Sierra  Morena. 


CHAP.  XVI. 

OBSEKVATiONS  O.N  THE  CAMrAIGX  OF  TAI.AVERA.  —  THE  RETREAT  OF  SIR 

ARTHUR    VVELLESf.EY   TO   THE    FnONTlER    OF    POPTt'GAL. THE    I>IS- 

PATCH    OF     LORO    WELt.ESI.EY    CONX'ERN/\G   THFS   MOVEMENT. THE 

ARMY     CAN-^ONE')    NEAR     THE    GUADIANA. THE    SICKNESS    OF    THE 

TROOPS.  —  THE   SPANIARDS    BEATEN  AT   OCANA    AND  ALBA  DE  TORMES. 
REMARKS    UPON    THEIR    DISASTERS. THE   GUERRILLAS.  —  NOTICE 

OF  LORD  Wellington's  movements. —  the  army  breaks  up  from 

THE  GUADIANA. 

Had  the  army  of  Cuesta  been  in  the  state  of  efficiency  re- 
presented t(j  the  English  general, — had  Cuesta  been  a  cordial 
ctadjutor. — had  tiie  supreme  junta  been  single  in  their  aim, 
zealous  in  tlieir  service,  and  wise  in  their  arrangements, — and 
liad  Vanegas  licen  permitted  to  fulfil  his  part  in  the  concerted 
oi)crations  against  Madrid,  at  what  period  of  the  war  was  there 
so  bright  and  so  hopeful  a  prospect  as  tliat  which  shone  out 
upon  the  columns  of  the  British  army  when  they  marched  back 
from  the  north  (>f  Portugal  to  the  banks  of  the  Tagus,  to  ope- 
rate offensively  against  Victor  I  We  say,  that  even  a  Fabius  at 
that  moment  might  have  felt  the  advance  prudent  and  of  good 
promise ;  that  there  was  all  hope  to  marcii  victoriously  to  the 
gates  of  Mmlrid.  Kut  we  have  seen,  first,  that  the  British  leader 
was  delaycil  at  Abrantes  for  want  of  money  in  his  military 
chest;  next,  that  lie  found  but  a  weak  support  in  the  troops  of 
Cuesta,  and  in  the  man  himself  a  stumbling-block  hi  the  path 
of  victory;  airnin,  tiiat  the  supreme  junta  neutralized  the  power 
of  Vanegas ;  and,  fhially,  tliey  left  the  British  army  to  starve 
amid  toils  and  condiats  tliat  demandeil  the  incessant  exercise  of 
all  tlie  pliysicol  energy  it  possessed.  Reverse  the  picture  from 
wliat  it  was,  and  where  would  have  been  tlie  danger  upon  Sir 
N2 


150  MILITARY  MEMOinS  OP 

Arthur's  flank  1  and,  if  menaced,  how  strongly  and  effectually 
might  the  passes  between  Salamanca  and  the  Tagus  have  been 
guarded !  The  men,  who  beat  Soult  at  Oporto,  and  Victor,  or 
the  king,  at  Talavera,  would  have  fought  their  road  gaily  to  the 
capital :  and  if,  under  such  circumstances,  Soult  had  again  in- 
vaded Portugal,  a  district  of  that  land  might  perhaps  have  been 
traversed  and  laid  desolate ;  but  with  a  hostile  and  victorious 
army  in  the  heart  of  Spain,  with  a  fresh  impulse  and  a  fresh 
strength  imparted  to  the  Spanish  people,  the  French  could  not 
have  remained  in  Portugal,  where  all  hearts  were  against  them; 
moreover  they  would  have  been  wanted  elsewhere.  Nay,  even 
as  matters  actually  fell  out,  could  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  have 
commanded  two  full  days'  rations  for  his  men,  he  might,  and 
probably  lie  would,  have  advanced  to  the  capital ;  and  though 
Soult  should  have  filled  the  valley  of  the  Tagus  with  troops  as 
he  did,  the  line  of  La  Mancha  would,  at  all  events,  have  been 
open.  But  the  want  of  provisions,  and  the  want  of  transport, 
weighed  down  the  wings  of  our  British  eagle,  and  he  could  not 
soar  as  he  aspired  to  do.  From  the  time  when  the  Spanish  and 
British  armies  joined,  on  the  22d  of  July,  the  English  had  often 
no  ration,  but  meat  without  salt,  and  flour  or  grain  instead  of 
bread ;  and  even  of  it  a  most  scanty  portion,  amounting  only  to 
the  third,  or  at  most  the  half,  of  a  full  ration.  The  horses  sel- 
dom or  never  received  a  regular  delivery  of  forage ;  and  the 
cavalry  had  to  pick  up  what  they  could,  going  for  it  to  a  great 
distance.  As  a  consequence  of  these  privations,  the  loss  and 
the  sickness  of  the  English  horses  was  so  great,  that  in  the 
middle  of  August  the  six  cavalry  regiments  wanted  one  thou- 
sand horses  to  complete  them ;  and  the  artillery  had  but  few 
cattle,  and  those  so  feeble  they  could  scarcely  draw  the  guns. 

As  another  consequence  of  the  severe  wants  of  the  army,  the 
officers  and  men  (for  all  fared  alike)  fell  sick  in  great  numbers ; 
and  being  without  salt  to  season  their  tasteless  food,  and  with 
no  other  drink  than  water,  they  were  almost  all  affected  with 
dysentery;  meanwhile,  nevertheless,  they  all  lay  out  in  the 
damp  and  dewy  nights,  and  continued,  in  despite  of  their  weak- 
ness, to  perform  all  the  duties  required  of  them.  In  considera- 
tion of  all  these  untoward  circumstances.  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley 
resolved  to  retire  towards  the  frontier  of  Portugal ;  and  with 
that  view  he  broke  up  from  Jaraicejo,  on  the  20th  of  August, 
and  marched  upon  Truxillo.  In  communicating  this  step  to  the 
ministers  at  home,  the  general  further  stated,  that  he  had  never 
been  able  to  procure  means  of  transport  since  his  arrival  in 
Spain ;  that  he  was  obliged  to  employ  the  largest  proportion  of 
the  carts  of  the  army,  whether  they  carried  money  or  ammuni- 
tion, to  convey  the  wounded  soldiers  to  the  hospital  at  Elvas : 
that  he  was  obliged  to  lay  down  a  quantity  of  ammunition  at 


THE  DUKE  OF  WEI.LIXGTOV.  151 

Meza  d'Ibor  and  Deleytosa,  wliicli  was  delivered  to  the  Spanish 
general ;  that  the  few  carts  remaining  with  tiie  army  were  re- 
quired to  move  the  sick  he  then  had ;  that  he  iiad  been  obliged 
to  leave  behind  him  his  reserve  ammunition,  which  lie  had  like- 
wise given  to  the  Spanish  troops ;  and  that  if  he  liad  waited 
longer,  he  could  not  have  moved  at  all  witliout  leaving  his  sick 
behind :  but  he  observed,  that  from  the  dispersed  state  of  the 
French  armies,  and  the  losses  they  had  sustained,  the  Spanish 
troops  were  not  likely  to  suifer  any  inconvenience  from  the  ab- 
sence of  their  allies ;  and  that  upon  the  frontier  of  Portugal  he 
iiopcd  to  supply  his  distressed  soldiers  with  every  thing  they 
might  want. 

The  corps  of  the  enemy  which  had  been  engaged  in  the  late 
operations  were  at  this  moment  distributed  as  follows :  Victor 
held  Talavera,  and  had  troops  in  La  Mancha ;  Sebastiani  was 
in  JjL  Mancha;  Mortier  occupied  Oropesa,  Arzobispo,  and 
Naval  Moral;  the  head-quarters  of  Soult  were  at  Plasencia; 
those  of  Ney  at  Salamanca.  From  this  distribution  of  the 
enemy's  force.  Sir  Arthur  inferred  that  it  was  obvious  they  did 
not  intend  at  that  time  to  undertake  any  offensive  operationa 
Soult,  indeed,  had  projected  the  invasion  of  Portugal  from  Pla- 
sencia, desiring  that  Ney  should  assist  in  this  expedition,  by 
advancing  from  Salamanca  with  the  same  object.  This  plan  of 
operations  he  proposed  to  the  king ;  but  Joseph,  guided  by  the 
judgment  of  marshal  Jourdan,  rejected  this  proposal.  Indeed, 
the  prudence  of  it  was  very  questionable,  and  Ney,  an  officer 
of  great  experience,  strongly  discouraged  it  The  truth  is,  a 
straighttbrward,  unobstructed  march  upon  Lisbon  was  not  feasi- 
ble. Inefficient  as  was  the  Portuguese  army  under  marshal 
Beresford,  it  would  Iiave  rendered  good  service  among  the 
mountains  of  Beira.  The  heart  of  the  whole  nation  was  against 
the  invader;  and  his  corps  would  have  been  followed  by  the 
British  army.  This  plan  being  rejected,  Soult  projxised  that  at 
all  events  Ciudad  Rodrigo  should  be  immediately  besieged  ;  but 
this  project,  thougii  undeniably  a  wise  measure,  obtained  no 
better  reception  at  the  French  head-quarters,  where  it  was 
already  resolved  to  defer  the  invasion  of  Portugal  till  the  spring 
of  the  following  year ;  and  to  employ  their  disposable  force  that 
autumn  and  winter  in  subjugating  the  south  of  Spain.  Sir  Ar- 
thur Wellesley  had  it  in  view  at  first,  after  passing  south  of  the 
Tagus,  to  act  against  the  French  at  Plasencia,  for  which  pur- 
pose he  had  ordered  materials  to  be  collected  for  repairing  the 
oridge  called  Puente  de  Cardinal.  But  when  he  abandoned  the 
idea  of  any  such  movement,  he  sent  a  detachment  to  break 
down  another  arch  of  the  Cardinal's  Bridge,  tliat  no  movable 
column  of  the  enemy  might  disturb  him. 
We  should  have  before  noticed,  that  the  central  junta  ex- 


152  MILITARY  MEMOinS  OF 

pressed  its  sense  of  Sir  Ariliur  Wereslcy's  services,  by  appoint- 
ing Iiim  a  captain-general  in  the  Soan'Sii  service,  and  presenting 
him  with  six  Andalnsian  liorses  in  the  name  <if  kinif  Ferdinand. 
He  accepted  the  horses  and  the  appointment  also,  (submitting 
this  acceptance  to  the  pleasure  of  the  king  of  England,)  but 
with  a  becoming  disinterestedness,  and  a  consideration  for  the 
finances  of  Spain,  he  declined  the  pay  attached  to  the  rank 
which  was  conferred  on  him.  In  England,  as  soon  as  the  news 
of  the  victory  arrived,  he  was  raised  to  the  peerage  by  the  titles 
of  baron  Douro  of  Wellesley,  and  viscount  Wellington  of  Tala- 
vera  and  of  Wellington  in  the  county  of  Somerset. 

A  few  days  after  the  battle  of  Talavera,  marquis  Wellesley 
landed  at  Cadiz  to  supersede  Mr.  Frere.  The  reception  of  the 
marquis,  both  at  Cadiz  and  Seville,  was  very  flattering ;  and 
manifested  most  clearly  their  warm  attachment  and  real  grati- 
tude to  the  Britisli  nation.  But,  while  charmed  with  tlie  ])eople, 
he  soon  discovered  the  incapacity,  the  meanness,  and  the  in- 
triguing spirit  of  the  junta.  As  soon  as  he  was  in  communica- 
tion with  Sir  Arthur,  and  was  made  acquainted  with  the  state 
of  matters  in  the  field,  he  seconded  the  remonstrances  of  the 
British  general  with  all  the  weight  of  his  station  and  his  talents. 
His  efforts  were  vain :  the  government  was,  indeed,  lavish  of 
promises,  and  sent  Don  Lorenzo  Calvo,  a  member  of  their  own 
body,  to  arrange  for  the  supply  of  both  the  armies;  but  the 
English  army  was  in  no  respect  better  supplied,  and  remained 
without  either  sufficient  or  wholesome  sustenance  till  Sir  Ar- 
thur Wellesley  broke  up  from  Jaraicejo,  and  commenced  his  re- 
treat. Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  halted  at  Merida;  and  he  here 
received  a  dispatch  from  the  marquis  Wellesley,  some  para- 
graphs of  which  I  transcribe. 

"  Although  M.  dc  Garay  and  his  government  must  have  been 
prepared  to  expect  the  early  notification  of  your  return  to  Por- 
tugal, from  every  communication  which  I  had  made  since  my 
arrival  at  Seville,  and  especially  from  your  recent  dispatches 
(which  I  had  regularly  put  into  M.  de  Garay's  Jjands),  the  most 
violent  emotions  of  alarm  and  consternation  seemed  to  be  ex- 
cited by  the  near  approach  of  on  event  so  long  foreseen. 

"lam  aware  that  the  absolute  necessity  of  the  case  is  the 
sole  cause  of  a  movement  so  entirely  contrary  to  your  inclina- 
tion. 

"  I  am  also  fully  sensible  not  only  of  the  indelicacy,  but  of  the 
inutility  of  attempting  to  offer  to  you  any  opinion  of  mine,  in  a 
situation  where  your  own  judgment  must  be  your  best  guide  ; 
and  where  no  useful  suggestions  could  arise  in  my  mind,  which 
must  not  already  have  been  anticipated  by  your  own  expe- 
rience, comprehensive  knowledge,  and  ardent  zeal  for  the  pub- 
lic welfare. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  153 

"  Viewing,  however,  go  nearly  the  painfiil  consequences  of 
your  immediate  retreat  into  Portugal,  I  have  deemed  it  to  be 
ray  duty  to  submit  to  your  consideration  the  possibility  of  adopt- 
ing an  intermediate  plan,  which  might  combine  some  of  the  ad- 
vantages of  your  return  into  Portugal,  without  occasioning 
alarm  in  Spain,  and  without  endangering  the  foundations  of  the 
alliance  between  this  country  and  Great  Britain. 

"  But  it  would  be  vain  to  urge  these  considerations  beyond 
the  extent  in  which  they  may  be  approved  by  your  judgment. 
It  will  be  sufficient  for  me  to  receive  an  early  intimation  of  your 
opinion,  and  to  be  enabled  to  state  it  distinctly  to  this  govern- 
ment, which  looks  to  your  decision  on  the  present  occasion  as 
the  final  determination  of  its  fate,  and  of  the  existence  of  the 
Spanish  nation.  That  decision  I  am  persuaded  will  be  founded 
on  the  same  principles  of  wisdom,  justice,  and  public  spirit, 
which  have  already  obtained  the  respect,  esteem,  and  confidence 
of  the  Spanish  nation ;  and  it  will  be  my  duty  to  endeavor  to 
satisfy  this  government  (whatever  may  be  the  exigency  of  the 
crisis)  that  no  change  has  taken  place  m  the  sentiments  or  mo- 
tives of  action  which  have  so  cordially  engaged  their  affection 
and  admiration." 

Wo  have  quoted  these  copious  extracts  from  the  dispatch  of 
the  marquis  Wellesley,  and  placed  tliem  in  the  body  of  this 
memoir,  because  they  show  what  was  the  true  and  deliberate 
estimation  of  the  value  of  British  aid,  both  with  the  government 
and  tiie  people  of  Spain ;  and  because  they  show  (after  the 
fullest  allowance  for  all  the  dignified  courtesies  of  expression 
which  abound  in  diplomatic  correspondence)  how  great  was  the 
reverence  and  respect  with  which  the  marquis  Wellesley  re- 
garded the  character  of  his  brother ;  how  entirely  he  deferred 
to  his  military  judgment ;  and  how  persuaded  he  was  of  the 
plain  immovable  decision  with  which  that  judgment  would  be 
formed,  and  parried  out  into  action.  The  plan  suggested  by  the 
marquis  Wellesley  was,  that  the  British  and  Siianish  armies 
should  take  up  a  defensive  position  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Gua- 
diana ;  thus  covering  the  Alentejo  and  defending  Seville.  To 
this  lord  Wellington  objected ;  for  the  line  of  the  Guadiana  was 
weak,  the  river  fordablo  in  many  places,  and  the  ground  on  its 
banks  aflbrdod  no  position  which  could  possibly  have  been  held 
by  the  Spanish  troops  against  the  French.  The  Spaniards,  in- 
deed, could  not  be  better  placed  at  the  moment  than  they  were : 
in  fact,  by  occupying,  as  they  did,  the  strong  line  of  the  Tagus, 
and  remaining  on  the  defensive  at  Doleytosa  and  Almaraz,  they 
effectually  covered  the  Guadiana,  and  that,  too,  in  a  position  al- 
most impregnable.  As  a  measure  of  incrensctl  precaution,  lord 
Wellington  advised  them  to  take  up  the  bridge  at  Almaraz,  and 
67nd  the  pontoons  to  Badajos.    To  this  last  place  be  inarched 


154  MILITAKV  MEMOIRS  OF 

himself  in  the  heginning  of  September,  and  there  established 
his  head-quarters. 

It  is  hardly  to  be  believed,  tliat  at  this  time  the  supreme  junta 
were  not  urging  a  renewal  of  offensive  operations,  to  be  under- 
taken by  the  British  and  Spanish  forces  united ;  the  English 
general,  however,  had  determined  to  co-operate  with  the  un- 
disciplined levies  of  Spain  no  longer.  Nevertheless,  he  did 
consent  to  remain  for  a  time  upon  the  Spanish  territory  ;  and 
accordingly  he  cantoned  the  greater  part  of  his  force  in  the 
towns  and  villages  of  Estremadura,  contiguous  to  the  frontier 
of  Portugal. 

Upon  the  march  from  Jaraicejo  to  Badajos,  lord  Wellington 
was  for  two  days  so  unwell  that  he  was  obliged  to  travel  in  a 
carriage  ;  but  he  battled  with  the  malady,  and  shook  it  off.  In 
the  cantonments  now  occupied  by  the  British  troops  they  had 
both  rest  and  food ;  but  there  came  upon  them  an  enemy  more 
terrible  and  resistless  than  any  human  foe — fiery  fever  and  chill 
ague  stole  upon  the  gallant  bands  who  had  upheld  the  glory  of 
England  on  the  bloody  field  of  Talavera.  la  a  few  weeks 
many  thousand  men  were  in  hospital,  in  a  few  more  some  thou- 
sands were  in  the  grave.  In  one  of  these  autumnal  months  the 
deaths  were  700,  in  another  13(KI;  and  brave  young  men,  in  the 
very  prime  and  heyday  of  their  lives,  moaned  their  last  in  pains 
that  tire;],  and  shiverings  that  humbled  them.  The  fever  gen- 
erally assumed  the  intermitting  form.  This  domestic  terror 
always  appears  in  Estremadura  during  the  autumnal  season,  and 
its  dreaded  visit  has  passed  into  a  proverb.*  Unhappily  wine 
and  spirits  could  not  be  procured  in  sufficient  quantities  to  make 
regular  issues  to  the  army.  The  hospitals,  indeed,  were  sup- 
plied, but  even  here  there  was  a  great  lack  of  medical  officers ; 
and  such  was  the  scarcity  of  bark,  that  in  the  regimental  hos- 
pitals many  perished  for  the  want  of  it.  During  his  stay  at 
Badajos,  lord  Wellington  himself  had  a  slight  attack  of  the  in- 
termittent, and  Cffisar  (despite  his  will)  trembled ;  but  to  the 
joy  of  all,  the  fever  soon  left  him.  It  was  remarkable,  but  in 
some  degree  comforting,  that  while  the  sick  in  the  general  hos- 
pital at  Elvas  were  dyuig  every  day  in  fearful  numbers,  the 
wounded  were  all  doing  well,  and  recovered  fast. 

At  this  period  nothing  could  be  more  gloomy  than  the  antici- 
pations generally  indulged  in  by  the  officers  of  the  army ;  es- 
pecially by  those  who  had  been  present  through  the  campaign 
of  Talavera,  and  had  witnessed  the  lamentable  inefficiency  of 
all  Spanish  co-operation.  It  was  commonly  expected  by  the 
many  that  the  British  troops  would  evacuate  the  Peninsula 

*  "  In  mesa  de  Setiembre 

Toda  la  Estremadura  tierable." 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTOV.  155 

within  six  months.  Amid  all  these  trials  and  discouragements, 
lord  Wellington  never  for  one  moment  atlmittcd  into  his  bosom 
any  feeling  of  despondency :  confident  that,  in  spite  of  all  the 
disasters  in  Spain,  he  could  make  good  the  defence  of  Por- 
tugal, he  directed  all  the  powers  of  his  mind,  and  all  the  re- 
sources of  his  genius,  to  that  one  object ;  and  how  his  noble 
constancy  was  rewarded  the  events  of  the  next  campaign  will 
show. 

We  would  here  remark,  that  lord  Wellington,  whose  opinions 
concerning  the  Spanish  government  and  tlie  Spanish  armies 
had  been  mithfully  and  firmly  given  in  the  able  and  interesting 
correspondence  between  himself  and  tlie  marquis  Wellcsley, 
had  here  the  opportunity  of  seeing,  as  indeed  might  have  been 
seen  anywhere  throughout  the  land,  that  the  people  of  Spain 
were  true  to  themselves.  The  Estremadurans  were  most  vio- 
lent and  loud  against  the  supreme  junta ;  they  suspected  and 
accused  them  of  treachery  by  the  very  placards*  on  the  walls 
of  Badajos ;  they  acknowledged  that  the  British  commander  had 
been  most  justly  disgusted  with  their  government,  Neverthe- 
less, with  the  wavering  caprice  of  on  unhappy  nation,  tossed  to 
and  fro  by  tliosc  buffets  of  misfortune  whicli,  in  tiie  defeat  and 
dispersion  of  those  armies  where  lier  sons  were  bleeding,  they 
continually  received,  after  the  fatal  days  of  Ocana  and  Alba  de 
Tormes,  they  again  railed  at  the  Englisii ;  began  to  tire  of  their 
presence,  and  to  ask,  with  an  angry  and  an  ignorant  insolence, 
why  the  British  stayed  in  the  rear  ]  why  they  remained  upon 
the  soil  of  Spain  at  all,  suffering  Spaniards  to  fight  their  bat- 
tles 1  Miserably,  indeed,  would  those  battles  have  been  fought, 
if  the  contest  had  been  committed  to  Spanish  generals  and 
Spanish  armies.  With  a  strange  infatuation  and  with  a  blind 
temerity,  the  junta  once  more  resolved  to  act  upon  the  offensive 
in  \a  Manclia.  They  apix)inted  Areizaga  to  command  a  force 
of  50,000  men,  placing  Albufjuerque,  who  had  nine  or  ten  thou- 
sand men  in  Estremadura,  under  the  orders  of  this  incapable 
and  inexjierienced  young  man.  By  this  arrangement  they  over- 
looked Castanos,  Romana,  and  Albuquerque,  three  of  the  best 
officers  tliey  had.  No  doubt,  however,  under  these,  if  the  junta 
had  commanded  a  general  action,  the  army  would  have  e<iually 
sustained  defeat ;  but  by  their  better  talents  it  would  have  been 
preserved  from  the  signal  discomfiture  and  utter  ruin  which 

*  Among  otliere  appeared  this  :— 
Paz  entrc  In  Francia 

Y  la  Junta  Central: 

Artitulo^. 
EI  Tnjn  nhnndonnilo, 
El  InglcM  ilisitutailo, 
El  eiorrito  i«.'riIito, 

Y  Badajos  vciidito. 


156  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

ensued.  On  tlie  3d  of  November,  Arcizaga,  at  the  head  of 
43,000  infantry,  6600  horse,  and  sixty  pieces  of  artillery,  ad- 
vanced from  the  Sierra  Morena  into  the  plains  of  La  IWancha. 
He  drew  up  and  offered  battle  at  Ocana,  in  one  of  the  most 
open  positions  he  could  have  chosen.  lie  placed  a  wing-  of  his 
army  on  each  side  of  the  town  ;  stationed  his  second  line  close 
to  his  first ;  arrayed  his  cavalry  in  four  lines  upon  his  right,  and 
put  his  guns  in  battery  upon  his  two  flanks. 

Thus  situated  he  was  attacked  by  two  French  corps.  Mortier 
commanded  them,  with  Sebastiani  for  a  second.  Need  tlie  con- 
sequence be  told  !  The  Spaniards  were  routed  with  an  immense 
loss  in  prisoners,  and  four  thousand  slain.  Only  fifteen  of  their 
guns  were  saved.  The  Spanish  artillery  had  been  well  served 
in  this  action,  and  some  battalions  fought  very  bi-avely  ;  but  in 
vain.  A  regiment  of  guards  and  a  regiment  of  Seville  left  the 
greater  part  of  their  officers  and  men  upon  the  field. 

The  defeat  of  the  Spanish  army  of  La  Mancha  was  followed 
by  the  discomfiture  of  that  under  the  duke  del  Parque.  This 
nobleman  had  obtained  a  very  creditable  success  against  a  con- 
siderable French  corps  under  Marchand,  on  the  18th  of  October, 
at  Tamames.  His  position  was  a  very  strong  one,  and  was 
very  stoutly  defended.  The  French  were  there  repulsed  with 
a  loss  of  near  three  thousand  men.  Emboldened  by  this  achieve- 
ment, the  duke  ventured  down  into  the  open  country  of  Castile, 
and,  afler  some  rash  and  foolish  movements,  was  forced  by  Kel- 
lerman  to  fight  a  battle  at  Alba  de  Tormes.  In  this  action  the 
Spanish  cavalry  fled  before  the  French  dragoons  without  raising 
a  sword ;  and  the  right  flank  of  the  foot  being  thus  uncovered, 
was  charged,  and,  after  a  short  but  ineffectual  resistance,  broken. 
The  Spanish  infantry  on  the  left  three  times  repulsed  the 
French  horse,  and  retired  under  cover  of  the  night  in  good 
order ;  but,  in  the  morning,  the  very  same  men,  finding  a  small 
party  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  in  their  rear,  were  stricken  with 
a  sudden  panic,  and  dispersed,  throwing  away  their  arms  and 
knapsacks ;  and  this  too  in  sight  of  Tamames,  where  a  m.onLh 
before  they  had  fought  so  well.  The  Spaniards  lost  five  thou- 
sand killed  and  taken,  and  all  the  artillery  of  their  right  wing. 
In  recording  an  action  so  disgraceful  as  this,  we  can  only  say, 
that  the  Spanish  soldiers  had  no  confidence  in  themselves  wlien 
they  were  arrayed  for  battle  against  the  French  troops  in  an 
open  country.  It  has  been  acutely  observed  by  the  historian 
Napier,  in  speaking  of  the  French  under  Soult,  and  their  wea- 
riness and  discontent,  that  "the  mind  shrinks  from  perpetual 
contact  with  death."*    Now,  if  this  be  true,  as  it  is  with  all 

*  We  well  remember  hearing  a  brave  officer  of  a  very  distinguished  British 
regiment  observe  upon  an  occasion  where  the  corjis  had  behaved  nobly,  and, 
as  usual,  sustained  a  heavy  loss, — "  It  is  almost  time  that  our  old  hands  should 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELUNGTON.  1 57 

troops  too  often  led  against  an  enemy,  although  they  should  be 
always  victorious,  in  how  great  a  measure  will  it  be  found  so  in 
men  familiar  only  with  defeat ;  formed  only  to  be  broken,  fight- 
ing only  to  be  slain  1  For  so  it  was :  and  let  it  be  remembered, 
that  death  in  the  onward  path  is  not  invested  with  any  of  those 
terrors  with  which  it  meets  its  miserable  victim, 

"  In  the  lost  battle  borne  down  by  the  flying." 

Napoleon  well  knew  what  he  was  about  when  lie  supplied 
the  French  generals  in  Spain  with  such  large  and  seemingly 
disproportionate  numbers  of  cavalry.  Before  the  trampling  of 
his  numerous  and  warlike  squadpons,  the  hearts  of  the  Spanish 
soldiers,  who  had  no  confidence  in  their  own  discipline,  no  power 
of  formation  and  movement,  and  for  a  long  time  no  ofliccrs 
capable  of  instructing  them,  too  often  became  fear-broken  ;  and 
the  glittering  of  French  sabres  was  like  the  gleam  of  the  ax 
and  the  signal  of  execution. 

The  frequent  and  melancholy  experience  of  their  inefficiency 
in  regular  warfare  drove  numbers  of  the  dispersed,  but  not 
disheartened,  patriots  to  adopt  a  new  mode  of  hostilities,  which 
harassed  and  distressed  the  French  to  an  incredible  degree. 

They  collected  in  small  bands  ;  they  chose  leaders  of  a  ready 
intelligence  and  a  daring  courage ;  and  tliey  commenced  a  sys- 
tem of  war  in  detail,  wliich  gratified  their  thirst  for  the  invaders' 
blood,  and  suited  well  with  their  melancholy  fortunes.  The 
French  had  never  found  any  difficulty  in  defeating  the  Spanish 
armies t — "troops"  says  a  French  officer,  "hastily  raised,  with- 
out skill  to  manoeuvre,  and  embarrassed  by  tlie  very  numbers 
which  should  have  been  their  strength." 

But  now  they  were  engaged  with  the  nation; — tliey  stood 
side  by  side  in  the  market-places  with  men  who  were  marking 
them  for  a  prey.  The  peasant  was  seen  plowing  peaceably  in 
his  field ;  but  in  one  of  the  furrows  lay  his  long  Spanish  gun, 
ready  to  give  aid  in  any  chance  contest  between  the  partidas, 
or  guerrillas,  and  the  passing  detachments  of  the  enemy.  •  Not 
a  mountain  pass  in  the  romantic  land  but  there  lay  among  the 


be  tent  home ;  they  have  hail  too  much  of  this  :  they  were  as  steady  as  usual, 
but  not  in  such  vond  humor  as  the  men  who  last  came  out ;  a  few  more  such 
victoric'fi  would  sicken  them."  We  9|«'ak  from  memory,  an<l  at  a  distance  of 
nearly  ninetwn  years;  but  a  more  zealous  and  a  more  gallant  oflirer  than  be 
who  made  the  observation  could  not  have  been  found  among  British 
grenadiers. 

t  We  deny  that  they  ever  had  an  army,  though  we  use  the  word ;  they  had 
levies  of  armed  men,  liut  no  armies.  "  What  the  Spaniards  cali  armies,"  is  the 
expression  nf  Sir  John  Moore ;  and  the  duke  of  Albuquerque,  speaking  of  the 
army  of  (^ii'sla,  says,  "  On  our  marches  \vc  stop  to  repose  like  a  flock  of  sheep, 
without  takJMj;  up  any  pn^ition;  and  airuin,  we  march  as  if  it  were  on  a  pil- 
grimage, without  any  regard  to  distance,  order,  or  method."  Although  these 
remarks  of  the  diiko's  apply  to  tlio  incompetency  of  Cucsta,  thoy  picture  fliith- 
(blly  the  mnrchus  of  Spanish  armies. 

Vol.  I.  O 


158  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OB 

rocks  and  bushes  a  group  of  these  fierce  and  formidable  men, 
awaiting  the  expected  convoy  or  the  feeble  company.  Even  in 
the  plains  the  posts  of  correspondence  were  compelled  to  fortify 
a  belfry,  or  tower,  or  house ;  and  the  sentinel  kept  his  vigilant 
look-out  from  a  scaffolding  of  planks,  that  he  might  see  all  that 
passed  in  the  fields  around ;  nor  could  any  of  the  soldiers  ven- 
ture beyond  the  inclosure  thus  fortified,  for  fear  of  assassination. 
To  lead  these  guerrilla  bands,  the  priest  girded  up  his  black 
robe,  and  stuck  pistols  in  his  belt — the  student  threw  aside  his 
books,  and  grasped  a  sword — the  shepherd  forsook  his  flock — 
the  husbandman  his  home. 

One  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  guerrilla  chiefs,  thus  sim- 
ply tells  the  commencement  of  his  military  life : — 

"  I  was  born  at  Idozin,  a  village  of  Navarre,  on  the  17th  of 
June,  1781.  My  parents  were  John  Stephen  Espoz  y  Mina, 
and  Mary  Terese,  Ilundain  y  Ardaiz,  honest  farmers  of  that 
province. 

"  As  soon  as  I  had  learned  to  read  and  write,  I  devoted  myself 
to  the  labors  of  husbandry ;  and  when  my  father  died  I  took 
charge  of  the  little  farm,  which  constituted  the  patrimony  of 
my  family.  In  this  manner  I  lived  till  the  age  of  twenty-six 
years. 

"  My  patriotism  being  then  excited  by  the  treacherous  inva- 
sion of  Spain  by  Napoleon  in  1808,  after  having  done  all  the 
harm  I  could  to  the  French  in  my  own  village,  I  abandoned  it, 
and  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  Doyle's  battalion,  on  the  8th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1809. 

"  Having  joined,  a  short  time  after,  the  guerrilla  commanded 
by  my  nephew  Xavier  Mina,  I  continued  still  as  a  private  sol- 
dier, when  this  guerrilla  being  disbanded,  in  consequence  of 
the  capture  of  my  nephew,  seven  of  the  men  named  me  their 
chief,  and  with  them.  I  began  to  co7nmand." 

Such  was  the  origin  of  this  famous  guerrilla  chief,  and  such 
his  first  rank  and  service.  Similar  was  the  origin  and  service 
of  many  others,  who  never  rose  to  the  distinction  obtained  by 
this  brave,  enterprishig,  and  fortunate  individual. 

The  number  of  these  armed  bands  was  very  great,  and  some 
few  of  the  self-elected  chiefs,  or  of  those  chosen  by  smugglers 
and  robbers  to  be  their  leaders,  became  a  terror  to  the  villages 
which  they  visited,  and  committed  great  oppressions,  plundering 
friends  as  well  as  enemies :  but  even  these  were  keen  after  the 
invaders'  blood ; — while  the  good  and  true  patriots,  who  were 
led  by  good  and  true  men,  met  on  all  sides  assistance  and  en- 
couragement, and  were  in  constant  communication  with  the 
inhabitants  of  every  town  and  village  in  which  the  French 
troops  were  cantoned. 

The  stratagems  of  the  leaders  of  these  bands  were  infinitely 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  1 59 

varied ;  and  the  very  nature  of  their  service,  demanding  at  one 
moment  the  greatest  secrecy  and  address,  and  admitting  at 
anotlier  a  display  of  heroic  energy,  had  about  it  a  wild  charm 
that  fascinated  all  gallant  and  enterprising  spirits. 

The  principal  cliieftains  of  these  partidas,  were  the  two  Minas 
and  Renovales,  in  Navarre  and  Arragon ;  Porlier,  named  the 
Marquisetto,  and  Longa,  in  the  Asturias  and  Biscay;  Juan 
Martin,  or  El  Empecinado,  in  New  Castile ;  Juan  Paladea,  or 
El  Medico,  in  La  Mancha;  the  curate  Mermo  and  others,  in 
Castile  ;  the  friar  Sapia,  of  Soria ;  Juan  Abril,  of  Segovia ;  the 
doctor  Rovera,  in  Catalonia ;  and  Julian  Sanchez  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Salamanca ;  and  a  long  list  of  names  of  lesser  note, 
well  known  in  the  vicinity  of  those  places  where  they  acted 
against  the  enemy.  There  were  not  less  than  fifty  thousand  of 
these  irregular  combatants  in  Spain  at  one  period  of  the  war, 
and  many  of  them  were  actuated  by  very  noble  motives  and  the 
true  love  of  their  country.  It  were  a  waste  of  words  to  insist 
upon  the  injury  which  these  parties  inflicted  on  the  French  ar- 
mies, or  upon  the  very  material  advantage  derived  by  Spain,  by 
Portugal,  and  by  the  British  aiiny,  from  their  active  and  perse- 
vering exertions.  We  know  that,  in  an  after-period  of  the 
war,  lord  Wellington  himself  appreciated  their  important  ser- 
vices most  highly. 

We  may  here  observe  that  some  of  the  British  wounded, 
taken  in  the  hospitals  at  Talavera,  effected  their  escape  in  the 
autumn,  and  found  their  way  back  to  the  British  cantonments, 
being  fed  and  assisted  on  their  route  by  the  inhabitants  of  the 
country.  It  is  true,  we  know  it  is  true,  that  tlie  people  of  Tal- 
avera, and  of  many  other  places,  hoarded  up  their  grain,  and 
would  not  produce  it,  either  for  the  British  or  the  Spanish  ar- 
mies. They  had  become  selfish  from  hard  necessity.  The 
owners  of  tlie  grain  feared  the  loss  of  their  store  without  any 
remuneration ;  and  the  poor  of  the  towns  and  villages,  dreading 
scarcity  and  want,  would  not  divulge  the  secret  of  the  existence 
of  such  stores,  or  of  the  places  of  deposit.  "  My  children  can- 
not eat  gold,"  was  the  reply  of  a  peasant  upon  one  occasion  of 
great  scarcity  in  Spain,  when  an  officer,  in  a  hunger  he  could 
scarcely  endure,  oflered  a  doubloon  for  a  loaf  of  bread.  It  was 
the  invariable  custom  of  the  Spaniards  during  the  war  to  bake 
by  stealth ;  and  the  goal  wives  would  move  about  their  dwell- 
ings, while  the  important  business  was  going  on,  as  if  they 
were  engaged  in  some  guilty  matter  and  feared  detection. 

Lord  Wellington  went  to  Lislwn  on  the  8th  of  October,  and 
returne<l  to  Ikdajoz  at  the  end  of  the  month.  Important  was 
the  object  of  this  visit :  it  was  upon  this  occasion  tliat  he  made 
a  personal  reconnaissance  of  the  country  in  froHt  of  Lisbon,  and 
resolved  upon  the  construction  of  those  famous  lines  of  Toires 


160  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

Vedras,  which  enabled  him  to  stay  the  tide  of  French  invasion, 
and  triumph  over  a  numerous  and  formidable  host  with  forces 
very  inadequate  to  the  deadly  struggle  of  the  field.  Of  this 
intention  nothing  was  said,  nothing  whispered,  at  the  time.  He 
returned  to  his  head-quarters  full  of  spirit  and  animation  ;  and 
upon  the  1st  of  November  he  again  quitted  Badajoz  and  rode 
to  Seville.  About  the  middle  of  the  month  he  again  appeared 
at  head-quarters,  having,  during  his  absence,  accompanied  lord 
Wellesley  to  Cadiz,  on  the  embarkation  of  that  nobleman  for 
England.  Things  now  began  to  look  better :  there  were  sup- 
plies in  abundance  ;  clothing  had  come  up  for  the  British  regi- 
ments, of  which  they  stood  in  the  greatest  need ;  the  weather 
became  cold  and  frosty ;  and,  although  the  hospitals  were  full, 
from  the  cantonments  the  intermittent  fever  now  disappeared, 
and  the  men  at  their  duty  enjoyed  good  health.  Lord  Welling- 
ton was  much  occupied  in  his  bureau,  and  for  the  sake  of 
health,  and  diversion  of  the  mind,  went  out  daily  with  his 
fowling-piece  upon  the  plains.  He  had  one  day  of  princely 
sport  in  the  royal  park  of  Villa  Vi^iosa,  a  hunting-palace  of  the 
kings  of  Portugal.  Upon  this  occasion  one  wild  boar  and  twenty- 
five  head  of  deer  were  heaped  upon  the  sward  as  the  trophy 
of  the  day.  He  was  always  gay  and  good-humored  with  those 
about  him,  and  inspirmg  others  with  the  confidence  which  he 
evidently  felt  himself 

Upon  the  15th  of  December  he  broke  up  from  his  canton- 
ments on  the  Guadiana,  and  led  his  army  (with  the  exception 
of  Hill's  corps,  which  was  left  to  observe  the  Alentojo,)  to  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Coa.  The  preparations  of  the  French  for 
the  invasion  of  Portugal  had  now  assumed  an  intelligible  char- 
acter ;  and  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  a  Spanish  fortress  immediately 
upon  the  frontier,  and  not  very  distant  from  Almeida,  was  al- 
ready menaced.  While  his  columns  were  crossing  the  Tagus, 
and  pursuing  their  march  to  the  new  line  of  cantonments  ap- 
pointed for  them,  lord  Wellington  again  visited  Lisbon.  He 
now  made  another  reconnoissance  of  the  positions  near  that 
capital,  and  gave  his  final  orders  for  the  works  to  be  erected. 
He  again  rode  over  the  range  of  hills  to  select  his  line  of  de- 
fence. He  fixed  the  principal  points,  marked  the  great  outline, 
and  leaving  the  detail  and  execution  of  this  great  work  to 
lieutenant-colonel  Fletcher,  an  able  and  meritorious  officer 
worthy  of  all  confidence,  he  rejoined  his  army,  and  established 
his  head-quarters  at  Vizeu. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  161 


CHAP.  XVIL 

LORD   WELLINGTON    IS   APPOINTED   MARSHAL-GENERAL    OF   THE   LU8ITA- 

NIAN     FORCES. PROGRESS    OF     THE    WAR    IN    SPAIN. OPINIONS     IN 

ENGLAND    CONCERNING   THE   DEFENCE   OF   PORTUGAL. POSITION    OF 

THE     ALLIES. CONDUCT     OF     LORD     WELLINGTON.  —  ASSEMBLY     OF 

THE    ARMY    OF    INVASION    UNDER   MASSENA. 

By  a  royal  decree  published  at  Lisbon  on  the  23d  of  Novem- 
ber, 1809,  and  dated  at  Rio  Janeiro  in  the  July  preceding,  lord 
Wellington  was  appointed  marshal-general  of  the  forces  of  Por- 
tugal. The  regency  were  commanded  to  invite  liim  to  all  their 
sittings,  and  to  consult  with  him  on  all  projected  measures  of 
importance.  This  appointment  invested  lord  Wellington  with 
an  authority  in  all  military  affairs  supreme;  and  gave  him  a 
voice  in  all  civil  arrangements  and  financial  regulations,  which 
could  not  be  heard  witliout  attention  and  respect.  Already  it 
was  well  and  widely  known  in  Portugal,  tliat  they  had  to  do 
with  a  nobleman  of  liberal  disinterested  views,  and  of  a  straight- 
forward integrity.  This  wise  confidence  of  the  court  of  Portu- 
gal was  bestowed  upon  one  who  felt  the  honor  and  the  value  of 
80  great  a  trust :  nor  can  there  be  one  individual .  found  in  that 
country  to  stand  forward  and  say,  that  the  power  and  influence 
which  it  gave  was  in  any  instance  abused. 

It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  know  that  we  write  the  memoir  of  a 
general,  who,  although  his  commands  have  been  many  and  con- 
siderable, and  the  tlieatre  of  his  services  has  been  oflen  varied, 
was  never  yet  charged  with  one  act  of  rapacity  or  of  cruelty  ; 
that  we  find  no  stain  of  severity  upon  his  hand,  no  dirt  of  plun- 
der adhering  to  his  honorable  sword,  no  tears  of  desolated  prov- 
inces to  dim  the  lustre  of  his  laurels. 

With  a  calm  and  cheerful  resolution  lord  Wellington  took 
ujx)n  himself  the  heavy  charge  and  the  high  respcn.sil)ility  of 
defending  this  little  kingdom  against  the  most  formidable  mili- 
tary power  in  Europe;  and  secure  in  tlie  bravery  of  his  few  but 
faithful  Britons,  and  in  tlie  willing  devotion  of  tlie  Portuguese 
Boldicry,  he  looked  onwards  to  the  impending  fitruggle  without 
dismay,  lie  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  council,  of  the  army, 
of  tlie  people  of  Portugal.  Whatever  suggestions  he  oflered 
were  cordially  adopted ;  and  the  absence  of^  the  court  (tliough 
friendly)  kept  at  a  distance  all  those  low  jealousies  and  petty 
intrigues  which  might  otlierwise  have  thwarted  and  perplexed 
him. 

Tiie  men  of  the  Portuguese  army  rapidly  improved  in  ap- 
pearance and  discipline,  and  gave  good  promise  of  efficient  aid 
m  the  approaching  contest  But  there  was  one  branch  of  that 
army  full  of  evil,  stubborn,  and  intractable ;  its  commissariat 
02 


162  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

was  inefficient  for  the  troops,  and  oppressive  to  the  people. 
Here  reformation  was  opposed  by  all  the  cunning  and  intrigue 
to  which  self-interest  and  avarice  so  eagerly  resort.  There  is 
no  canker  which  does  so  surely  eat  out  the  heart  of  patriotic 
exertions  as  the  sin  of  covetousness :  by  this  the  success  in 
Spain  was  ever  much  impeded ;  and  by  this  the  difficulty  of  the 
defensive  war  in  Portugal  was  greatly  increased :  but  by  the 
close  and  earnest  attention  of  lord  Wellington,  many  abuses 
were  swept  away,  and  others  diminished. 

The  exertions  of  marslial  Beresford  were  indefatigable  ;  and 
certainly  it  was  no  light  labor  to  reform  an  army  so  long  and 
so  shamefully  neglected.  Cleanliness,  regularity,  attendance  at 
all  drills  and  parades,  and  prompt  obedience  to  all  orders,  were 
rigidly  enforced  both  upon  officers  and  men.  Equal  justice  was 
administered  to  the  private  soldier ;  and  the  fidalgo  officer  was 
taught  to  respect  the  rights,  the  character,  and  the  person  of  the 
meanest  peasant  in  the  camp.  Thus  the  dirty,  indolent,  and 
slovenly  soldiers  of  the  weakest  and  most  perverted  govern- 
ment in  Europe  soon  learned  that  respect  for  themselves  which 
drew  all  fear  out  of  their  hearts,  and  enabled  them  to  contem- 
plate the  war,  not  only  without  alarm,  but  with  the  hope  of 
victory. 

It  is  a  difficult  task  to  reform  and  correct  abuses,  without  ex- 
citing ill-will  in  the  breasts  of  many  ;  and,  thankful  to  marshal 
Beresford  for  what  he  did,  we  must  not  complain  unreasonably 
concerning  that  which  he  failed  to  do.  It  was  his  aim  to  inspire 
awe  into  all  beneath  him.  The  wisdom  of  this  aim  we  question; 
it  frightened  only  his  worst  officers,  and  discontented  many  of 
his  best.  His  manners  v/ere  harsh  and  unpopular,  and  formed  a 
great  contrast  to  the  patient  good-humor  and  quietness  of  lord 
Wellington. 

The  British  head-quarters  were  established  at  Vizeu  on  the 
I2th  of  January,  1810  ;  and  the  divisions  of  the  army  were  so 
disposed  as  to  hold  the  strong  and  rugged  line  of  the  Beira 
frontier,  while  at  tlie  same  time  they  were  distributed  in  can- 
tonments where  their  health,  equipment,  and  discipline  might 
be  carefully  improved.  We  turn  for  a  few  pages  to  look  upon 
tlie  affiiirs  of  Spain.  When,  after  the  battle  of  Vals  and  the 
death  of  Reding,  Blake  was  appointed  commander-in-cliief  of 
Catalonia,  Valencia,  and  Arragon,  his  first  operations  at  Monzon 
and  Alcaniz  were  successful. 

Encouraged  by  the  smile  of  fortune,  he  projected  the  re- 
covery of  Zaragoza ;  and  he  marched  against  the  corps  of  mar- 
shal Suchet,  which  lay  near  tliat  famous  city.  Blake  was  so 
unskilful  in  the  plan  of  his  attack,  and  so  slow  in  his  formations, 
that  Suchet  anticipated  him  and  struck  the  first  blow :  never- 
theless Blake  defended  himself  well,  and  repulsed  the  assault 


TIIE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  163 

upon  his  left  win^  with  fimmese ;  but  the  marshal  making  fresh 
dispositions,  attacked  him  in  turn  with  great  vigor  and  overthrew 
the  Spaniards  with  slaughter,  taking  from  them  gims  and  colors, 
and  driving  them  away  in  disorder.  Blake  nillied  his  troops 
tlie  next  day  ;  and  upon  the  18th  of  June  drew  up  on  a  range 
of  hills  near  Belchite,  and  offered  battle.  Suchet  attacked  him 
here  witli  twenty-two  battalions  and  seven  squadrons ;  but,  to 
the  bitter  mortification  of  Blake,  his  men,  with  tlic  defeat  of  the 
14tli  sticking  in  their  minds,  broke  at  the  very  commencement 
of  the  action,  and  fled.  His  artillery  was  taken,  and  in  the 
pursuit  the  French  made  40(X)  prisoners. 

We  find  consolation  for  this  in  contemplating  the  glorious  de- 
fence of  Gerona;  that  heroic  city  sustained  a  siege  of  six 
montlis  with  unshaken  constancy.  Don  Mariano  Alvarez,  a 
veteran  of  noble  character,  was  the  governor  of  this  fortress. 
From  the  middle  of  September  to  the  day  of  the  capitulation, 
which  was  finally  agreed  to  on  December  the  10th,  three  wide 
breaches  in  its  battered  walls  lay  constantly  open  to  the  assail- 
ing columns.  When  first  practicable,  they  were  twice  fiercely 
stormed,  and  fearlessly  defended ;  the  enemy  was  repulsed  with 
so  severe  a  loss,  and  so  greatly  discouraged,  that  the  French 
officers  judged  it  unwise  to  renew  the  attempt,  and  it  was  re- 
solved to  reduce  the  brave  defenders  by  famine.  Now  came 
the  dreatl  trial  of  enduring  courage.  The  garrison  and  the 
citizens  fed  hard  and  scantily ; — they  ate  the  flesh  of  liorses 
and  mules,  and  handfiils  of  unground  corn,  which  they  pounded 
between  stones.  Fever  and  flux  soon  appeared  among  them ; 
and  they  sickened,  and  wasted,  and  died  in  great  numbers.  The 
way  to  the  burial-place  was  never  vacant,  and  the  deaths  aver- 
aged from  thirty  to  forty  daily.  Amid  all  this  disease  and  weak- 
ness thoy  had  no  rest ;  for  the  bombardment  was  continued  day 
and  night,  and  ever  in  the  niglit  with  great  violence.  Tliere 
was  scarcely  a  building  wliich  had  not  been  injured ;  the  houses 
lay  in  ruins,  and  the  people  slejit  in  vaults  and  cellars,  or  made 
them  holes  and  caves  amid  the  rubbish  ;  the  very  wounded  were 
killed  as  tliey  lay  in  hospital :  still  they  not  only  held  these 
breaches,  whicli  had  been  open  for  weeks  without  repair,  but 
they  made  a  sally  to  relieve  the  only  two  remaining  outposts ; 
and  they  effecte(i  their  object  in  so  sudden  and  resolute  a  man- 
ner that  they  only  lost  forty  men.  This  was  their  last  exertion. 
The  sickness  increased  so  dreadfully,  that  the  deaths  in  one  day 
sometimes  amojinted  to  seventy.  On  the  4th  of  December  Al- 
varez, the  governor,  was  seized  witli  a  nervous  fever,  and  in  a 
few  days  became  delirious  and  incapable  of  command.  A 
council  was  now  held  of  the  two  juntas,  military  and  civil,  and 
they  deputed  Don  Bias  de  Furnas,  a  distinguished  soldier,  to 
treat  for  a  capitulation.    The  most  honorable  terms  were  freely 


164  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

accorded  by  marshal  Augereau,  in  a  spirit  that  does  infinite 
credit  to  his  memory.  The  whole  of  tlie  10th  was  employed  in 
adjusting  the  terms ;  and  while  this  was  going  on,  the  French 
soldiers  ran  eagerly  to  the  walls  with  provisions  and  wine  for 
the  brave  men  who  had  so  long  and  so  firmly  opjwsed  them. 
Humanities  like  these  redeem  the  character  of  the  imperial 
army  ;  and  we  forget  willingly  for  a  season,  that  they  were  the 
instruments  of  the  most  insatiable  and  merciless  ambition  which 
ever  cursed  the  world. 

The  emaciated  garrison  marched  out  with  the  honors  of  war ; 
and  as  the  decorated  victors  of  Austerlitz  looked  upon  the  pale 
and  patriot  band,  they  might  well  have  envied  them  the  greater 
glory  of  that  mournful  triumph.  Mariano  Alvarez  was  led 
away  in  his  captivity  to  Figueras,  where  soon  after  he  died ; 
but  his  name  will  live  till  old  Gerona  be  a  heap,  and  Spain  a 
solitude. 

We  pass  from  Catalonia  to  the  centre  and  south  of  Spain. 
Marshal  Soult  had  in  the  previous  October  been  appointed  ma- 
jor-general and  chief  of  the  staff"  to  king  Joseph,  in  the  place 
of  Jourdan,  who  was  recalled  to  Paris.  This  appointment  gave 
activity  and  union  to  all  the  French  operations ;  and  some  of 
the  successes  which  immediately  ensued  have  already  been 
told. 

The  central  junta  after  the  rout  of  Ocana  exhibited  no  energy, 
and  were  unwilling  to  contemplate  the  coming  dangers,  because 
they  had  no  abilities  to  meet  them.  They  had  lost  the  confi- 
dence and  respect  of  the  nation  :  they  made  an  effort  to  recover 
their  ground  by  offering  to  Romana,  who  had  exposed  their  in- 
capacity and  disclaimed  their  authority,  the  command  of  Arei- 
zagas's  broken  army:  this  offer  he  declined.  There  was  no 
reasonable  prospect  of  defending  the  Sierra  Morena  with  sucli 
a  mob  of  undisciplined  fugitives.  Such  little  liope  as  remained 
to  them  rested  on  12,000  men  in  Estremadura,  commanded  by 
the  brave  and  zealous  duke  del  Albuquerque ;  but  of  him  they 
were  jealous,  and  they  looked  upon  all  sides  witli  doubt  and 
hesitation. 

They  now  announced  their  intention  of  removing  from  Seville 
to  the  Isle  of  Leon ;  a  resolution  which  immediately  excited 
loud  murmurs  among  the  people.  The  citizens  saw  they  were 
to  be  abandoned ;  and,  though  certainly  most  unequal  to  the 
task,  there  was  a  mad  desire  to  defend  Seville.  Meanwhile  the 
king,  at  the  head  of  three  French  corps  directed  by  the  able 
Soult,  was  marching  upon  Andalusia.  They  passed  the  Sierra 
Morena,  encountering  but  little  resistance  ;  and  upon  the  21st 
of  January  their  head-quarters  were  established  at  Baylen,  the 
very  place  where  the  troops  of  Dupont  at  the  commencement 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  165 

of  the  struggle  had  laid  down  their  arms  in  dejection  and  dis- 
grace. 

It  was  in  vain  that  the  junta  tried  to  hold  out  false  hopes  to 
the  people ;  it  was  in  vain  they  admonished  them  to  be  calm, — 
all  was  in  confusion ;  and  the  extinction  of  the  power  of  this 
weakest  and  most  unfortunate  of  councils  was  at  hand.  They 
were  completely  at  a  loss  how  to  act ;  they  sent  instructions  to 
Albuquerque  at  one  moment  which  by  the  next  courier  they 
contradicted.  These  orders  directed  him  to  march  on  Cordova ; 
an  arrangement  so  foolish  that  it  could  scarcely  be  referred  to 
treachery.  Tiie  French  had  already  passed  the  Sierra  Morena; 
Albuquerque,  therefore,  with  a  wise  and  prompt  decision,  led  his 
division  direct  upon  Cadiz ;  and  thus  was  a  city  saved,  the  secu- 
rity of  which  was  of  the  last  importance  to  the  future  conduct 
of  the  war. 

When  Victor  arrived  from  Seville  he  found  Albuquerque  with 
8000  men  already  in  the  Isle  of  Leon,  and  the  approaches 
guarded.  The  rest  of  Andalusia  was  speedily  overrun.  Se- 
ville was  for  a  time  the  head-quarters  of  the  intruder.  French 
horsemen  rode  in  at  the  gates  of  Jaen  unresisted ;  French 
trumpets  sounded  their  proud  notes  in  the  startled  halls  of 
Grenada ;  and,  after  a  few  useless  shots  in  their  defence,  Malaga 
yielded  up  the  cellars  of  her  famous  wine  to  the  armed  pur- 
veyors of  king  Joseph. 

The  unpopularity  of  the  supreme  junta  had  reached  its  height 
before  they  left  Seville.  While  they  were  hastening  their  de- 
parture for  Cadiz,  the  people  of  Seville  had  risen  in  tumult  and 
deposed  them :  and  when  they  arrived  in  Cadiz  and  discovered 
the  strength  of  the  public  feeling  against  them,  they  formally 
resigned ;  but  they  did  so  with  a  becoming  and  deliberate  dig- 
nity. They  nominated  a  regency,  and  transferred  to  it  their 
authority,  making  provision  tliat  it  should  be  only  retained  till 
the  cortes  were  assembled.  After  this  tliey  published  a  fare- 
well address  to  the  people,  in  which  they  set  forth  all  their  ex- 
ertions, vindicated  their  measures,  and  maintained  their  faith- 
fulness in  duty  and  their  purity  in  intention.  It  must  be  freely 
admitted,  that  they  had  a  task  whicii  might  have  proved  too 
arduous  for  any  statesmen  upon  earth.  The  government  of  a 
fierce,  haughty,  suspicious  people,  united  indeed  in  one  senti- 
ment, viz.,  hatred  to  the  invader ;  but,  ujwn  most  questions 
which  arose,  separated  into  as  many  factions  as  there  were 
provinces ;  consulting  only  interests  that  were  local ;  moved 
only  by  dangers  that  were  near;  having  no  system  in  any 
thing;  and  averse  from  thn  introduction  of  any  regulations  that 
were  new,  however  rational  and  useful.  Neither  was  it  in  all 
the  hurry  and  agitation  of  a  present  warfare  that  these  evils 
could  possibly  be  corrected.   Neitlier  wa-s  tliere  one  single  mas- 


166  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

ter-mind  to  which  the  nation  could  look  as  to  a  beacon ;  nor 
one  beloved  person,  dear  to  tlieir  hearts,  round  whom  their 
affections  could  cling.  Therefore  it  was,  that  each  province 
and  each  army  had  attachments  and  prejudices  distinct,  and  to 
be  reconciled  for  the  general  good  by  no  man,  or  council  of 
men,  to  be  found  in  all  Spain. 

They  were  a  people  disturbed  and  broken  in  upon  by  war  and 
all  its  train  of  troubles ;  and  not  a  town  or  village  in  the  king- 
dom but  found  all  its  petty  authorities  placed  in  situations  so 
new,  and  exacting  services  and  duties  so  strange  to  them,  that, 
but  for  the  melancholy  consequences  of  their  inexperience,  and 
their  unteachable  obstinacy,  if  Spain  hath,  in  any  nook  or  cor- 
ner of  her  land,  a  Cervantes  living,  he  would  find  as  rich  mate- 
rials for  his  pen  in  that  period  as  she  once  furnished  to  that 
great  master  of  tlie  smile,  and  a  moral  to  the  full  as  mournful 
as  he  gave. 

In  their  choice  of  the  regents  the  junta  selected  the  very 
fittest  persons,  a  tacit  proof  of  their  own  integrity ;  but  many 
of  their  own  body,  after  its  dissolution,  were  persecuted  with 
great  rigor  and  cruel  indignity,  not  by  the  regency,  but  by  the 
junta  of  Cadiz  and  the  people. 

In  the  dangers  now  imminent  that  city  looked  anxiously  to 
England :  supplies  of  all  sorts  were  most  liberally  furnished 
from  Gibraltar ;  and  there  being  no  longer  any  objection  to  re- 
ceive British  troops  in  garrison,  a  division  of  6000  men,  in- 
cluding- a  contingent  furnished  by  Portugal,  were  landed  upon 
the  Isla  de  Leon,  and  lieutenant-general  Graham  was  sent  from 
England  to  command  at  that  important  station.  But  such  no- 
tice of  their  operations  as  may  be  required  to  illustrate  this 
memoir  we  will  take  in  another  place,  and  return  at  present  to 
Portugal. 

It  is  interesting  to  inquire,  while  so  many  and  so  great  anxie- 
ties were  pressing  upon  the  mind  of  lord  Wellington,  how  far 
he  was  strengthened  from  home  by  the  support  of  the  ministry, 
and  how  far  he  was  encouraged  by  the  voice  of  his  countrymen. 
A  more  animating  spectacle  can  scarcely  be  contemplated  by  a 
nation  alive  to  its  glory  than  that  of  its  chosen  champion  gird- 
ing up  his  loins  upon  the  appointed  arena,  and  standing  strong 
and  steady  to  meet  the  enemy  of  his  native  land,  and  to  main- 
tain the  cause  of  a  weak  and  trembling  ally.  But  what  was 
the  fact  ?  In  the  British  senate  speeches  were  made  and  print- 
ed, with  the  double  view,  one  should  imagine,  of  encouraging 
the  French  and  depresshig  the  British  armies. 

Our  extracts  shall  be  few,  but  they  bring  out  the  character 
of  lord  Wellington  into  bold  relief,  and  will  fix  in  the  mind  a 
right  estimate  of  his  talent  and  of  his  courage. 

"  It  was  mournful  and  alarming,"  observed  one  gentleman, 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  167 

"to  hear  that  lord  Wellington  had  said  he  could  defend  Portu- 
gra\  with  50,000  men,  provided  30,000  were  British ;  for,  if  the 
French  were  in  earnest  in  their  designs  upon  that  country, 
before  three  months  lord  Wellington  and  his  army  would  be  in 
England." 

In  a  memorable  debate  in  the  house  of  lords,  a  great  and 
gifted  nobleman,  upon  whose  opinions  able  men  have  always  set 
a  high  value,  after  remonstrating  against  the  useless  defence  of 
Portugal,  broke  out  with  the  following  interrogatory : — "  Was 
there  any  man  that  heard  him,  who  in  his  conscience  believed 
that  even  the  sacrifice  of  tlie  whole  of  that  brave  British  army 
would  secure  the  kingdom  of  Portugal  ] " — "  If,"  said  he,  "  I 
receive  from  any  person  an  answer  in  the  affirmative,  /  shall  be 
able  to  judge  by  that  answer  of  the  capncily  of  such  a  person 
for  the  government  of  this  country,  or  even  for  the  transaction 
of  public  business  in  a  deliberative  assembly." — ^Next  came  an 
earl,  who  was  a  general,  or  rather  a  soldier,  and  a  brave  one, 
but  luckily  not  the  commander  of  our  army  in  Portugal.  He 
said,  that  "  this  attempt  to  defend  Portugal  was  the  climax  of 
error ;  that  we  should  be  allowed  to  retain  Portugal  under  our 
present  system  just  so  long  as  Bonaparte  thought  proper." 

In  fact,  the  counsel  of  the  despondent  party,  both  in  the 
houses  of  parliament  and  among  the  people  of  England,  was 
this : — "  Break  your  faith ;  desert  the  SjKiniards ;  desert  the 
Portuguese ;  have  nothing  to  do  with  tlicse  terrible  legions  of 
Napoleon,  you  can  neither  resist  them  nor  him ;  bring  the  army 
back;  and,  unless  the  French  come  to  the  shores  of  old  Eng- 
land to  look  for  it,  let  it  never  fire  another  shot."  It  was 
melancholy  to  see  how  many  fine  minds,  how  many  excellent 
hearts,  were  blinded  and  deceived,  and  bowed  down  before  the 
very  name  of  Napoleon.  Not  even  the  consciousness  tliat  they 
were  reading  only  a  splendid  and  fabulous  narration  prevented 
their  thrilling  admiration  of  his  bulletins.  Neither  did  the 
coarseness  of  his  tyranny  in  one  country,  nor  the  meanness  of 
his  policy  towards  another,  awaken  tliem  to  his  true  character. 
While  the  mothers  of  France,  bereaved  of  their  sons,  of  all 
their  sons,  sate  lonely  in  their  homes,  and  cursed  Iiim ;  while 
every  new  project  of  his  ambition  brought  with  it  some  new 
call  upon  the  scanty  resources  of  tlie  industrious  citizen  of 
France,  Englislimen  wore  found  to  worship  before  his  throne,  to 
stand  before  it  with  sealed  eyes  in  a  trance  of  wonder,  and  to 
fill  their  moutiis  with  his  praise.  Strange  tliat  such  things 
*'  should  drivel  out  of  human  lips,"  "  o'en  in  the  cradled  weak- 
ness of  the  world." 

In  both  houses  ministers  were  triumphant  in  these  various 
debates;  and  the  necessary  supplies  were  vot'-d  for  the  Portu- 
guese troops.     But  yet  th  -  """r«  timid  and  cautious  in  all 


168  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

their  measures ;  they  made  no  such  exertions  as  the  emergency 
required ;  they  sent  no  British  reinforcements ;  they  bade  lord 
Wellington  risk  nothing,  and  hold  himself  always  free  for  a 
safe  and  early  embarkation ;  and  it  was  seen  plainly,  from  the 
whole  tenor  of  their  instructions,  that  if  disaster  befell  him  he 
must  bear  all  the  responsibility,  and  sink  alone,  not  looking  to 
be  supported  by  them :  but  he  had  a  heart,  and  a  mind,  and  a 
courage,  and  a  capacity,  to  sustain  the  weight  of  these  diffi- 
culties which  were  heaped  upon  him. 

Around  him  lay  those  brave  battalions  with  which  he  had  al- 
ready achieved  a  triumph ;  and  in  them  he  again  found,  as  he 
had  always  found,  his  ready  and  best  support.  Disease  had 
wholly  disappeared ;  they  were  again  hale,  efficient,  and  ready 
for  the  field.  His  own  head-quarters,  as  we  have  before  stated, 
were  at  Vizeu.  His  advance  division  lay  in  front  of  Almeida, 
and  patrolled  as  far  as  Ciudad  Rodrigo.  His  cavalry,  with  the 
exception  of  the  brigade  furnishing  relief  for  the  outposts,  lay 
in  good  cantonments  in  the  rear ;  while  the  other  divisions  of 
infantry  were  so  disposed,  tliat  the  two  great  roads  which  pierce 
the  mountainous  region  of  Beira  were  effectually  guarded ;  and 
these  divisions  were  placed,  moreover,  in  so  close  and  judicious 
a  connexion,  that  they  could  readily  be  assembled  at  any  point 
which  the  enemy  should  seriously  menace,  or  which  tlie  general 
himself  might  choose  for  a  demonstration  on  the  frontier.  The 
park  of  artillery  was  at  head-quarters.  All  these  troops  were 
comfortably  quartered,  the  weather  was  favorable,  and  provisions 
wholesome  and  abundant.  While  lord  Wellington,  with  the 
main  body  of  his  forces,  observed  all  the  country  between  the 
Douro  and  the  Tagus,  general  Hill  was  posted  south  of  this 
last  river,  with  a  division  of  infantry  and  another  of  Portunuese, 
to  watch  the  corps  of  Mortier  and  of  Regnier,  who  held  the 
upper  Estremadura,  having  their  head-quarters  at  Merida,  and 
patrolled  in  force  towards  the  frontier  of  Alentejo.  Romana, 
who,  witlidrawing  from  Seville  when  the  French  passed  the 
Sierra  Morena,  had  thrown  himself  into  Badajoz,  just  in  time 
to  save  it  from  the  corps  of  Mortier,  was  still  in  that  place,  and 
in  regular  communication  with  Hill.  Elvas  was  respectably 
garrisoned;  but  though  general  Hill  kept  his  liead-quarters 
usually  at  Portalegre,  having  a  battalion  advanced  towards  Al- 
buquerque, and  patrolling  to  the  Spanish  frontier,  yet  his  main 
position  was  at  Abrantes. 

The  head-quarters  of  marshal  Beresford  and  of  the  Portu- 
guese army  was  at  Thomar.  The  Portuguese  troops  now  con- 
sisted of  twenty-four  regiments  of  the  line,  six  of  light  infantry, 
and  ten  of  cavalry,  together  with  a  due  proportion  of  artillery. 
Their  effective  strength  was  about  31,()00;  of  this  number, 
many  regiments  were  not  yet  sufficiently  trained  to  act  with  the 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  169 

anny,  and  remained  therefore  in  garrison.  Such  brigades  as 
were  in  the  highest  and  most  efficient  state  of  discipline  were 
placed  in  British  divisions ;  where,  among  English  corps,  it  was 
rightly  judged  they  would  feel  a  greater  confidence,  and  a  more 
noble  emulation.  I^ord  Wellington's  personal  activity,  both  of 
mind  and  body,  during  the  long  period  in  which  the  troops  lay 
still  and  undisturbed,  was  incessant.  Early  in  February,  having 
visited  his  advancetl  divisions,  he  went  again  to  Lisbon,  and 
again  examined  his  lines  witli  care.  Ten  thousand  laborers 
were  at  work  on  them.  lie  returned  about  the  middle  of  Feb- 
ruary, in  high  health  and  spirits,  spoke  not  a  word  about  the 
lines,  only  there  went  forth  a  report,  which  was  not  of  course 
discouraged  by  the  general,  that  the  idea  of  forming  these  lines 
had  been  altogether  abandoned,  as  the  position  was  too  exten- 
sive, and  capable  of  being  turned.  Tlie  enemy  about  this  time 
made  various  demonstrations  against  Ciudad  Rodrigo  and  Bada- 
joz.  Upon  the  side  of  Alentejo,  whenever  the  enemy  moved 
down  from  Merida,  and  showed  the  heads  of  his  columns,  Hill, 
in  pursuance  of  his  instructions,  put  himself  in  motion,  and 
marched  a  little  forward ;  but,  in  Beira,  lord  Wellington  never 
moved  at  all,  nor  could  they  ever  tempt  him  to  betray  his  dis- 
positions or  disconnect  his  divisions,  and  these  he  had  so  posted 
that  he  knew  they  could  not  be  troubled  or  disturbed  in  that 
stage  of  the  campaign.  Meanwhile  the  guerrillas  from  Navarre 
and  Biscay  sent  reports  of  the  entry  of  large  reinforcements 
from  France ;  and  as  the  spring  advanced,  the  plot,  as  had  been 
expected,  thickened.  During  this  period,  lord  Wellington  was 
much  and  closely  occupied  in  his  bureau.  There  he  worked 
alone,  with  simplicity  and  with  the  common  secrecy  of  reserve; 
but  without  the  slightest  ostentation ;  no  solemn  mystery ;  no 
pomp  of  concealment ;  and  never  one  look  of  importance.  He 
commanded  the  corps  of  Hill,  with  as  much  minute  attention  to 
the  very  detail  of  its  movements  as  if  it  had  been  under  his 
own  eye,  though  it  operated  far  away  from  him  in  the  soutli. 
In  like  manner  he  directed  every  movement  throughout  the 
land,  north  as  well  as  soutli ;  looking  upon  every  road,  and  everj 
stream,  and  every  strong  sierra,  frcfm  the  still  observatory  of  his 
mind ;  while,  as  he  bent  over  his  maps  and  plans,  he  considered 
the  correspondence  and  reports  submitted  to  him.  He  answered 
all  important  communications  with  his  own  hand,  and  conveyed 
his  instructions  with  that  minute  clearness  which  precluded  the 
possibility  of  his  being  misunderstood.  In  tlie  month  of  March, 
1810,  the  British  troops  effective  in  the  field  did  not  amount  to 
22,000  combatants. 

In  this  month  the  enemy  were  already  assembling  in  force 
upon  llio  Tonnes.  One  corps  destined  to  form  a  part  of  the  in- 
vading army  was,  as  a  preliminary  operation,  directed  to  possesB 

Vol.  I.  P 


170  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

itself  of  Astorga.  This  ancient  city  is  walled,  and  capable  of 
defeating  any  sudden  assault,  but  not  defensible  against  a  regu- 
lar attack.  Santocildes,  who  had  repulsed  an  attempt  of  the 
enemy  upon  this  place  in  the  September  preceding,  was  still  the 
governor,  and  had  a  garrison  of  from  two  to  three  thousand  men. 
Junot  marched  upon  Astorga  with  12,000  men,  invested  it  in 
due  form  on  the  21st  of  March,  did  not  open  his  batteries  till 
the  20th  of  April ;  and  having  breached  the  place,  and  again 
vainly  summoned  it,  attempted  to  carry  it  by  storm.  After  a 
fierce  struggle  he  was  repulsed,  with  the  loss  of  1500  men ;  but 
for  all  this  signal  success,  Santocildes,  being  without  stores  or 
ammunition  to  continue  the  defence,  made  terms  for  the  un- 
happy citizens,  and  obtained  the  honors  of  war  for  the  garrison. 
After  this  conquest,  which  cost  him  2.500  men,  Junot  marched 
into  old  Castile,  and  joined  tlie  corps  which  had  already  com- 
menced their  operations  against  the  frontier  of  Portugal ;  having 
their  advanced  post  upon  the  Agueda ;  upQnwhich  river,  and 
between  it  and  the  Coa,  were  those  of  the  British  light  division 
under  general  Crawfurd. 

That  the^campaign  would  open  with  the  siege  of  Ciudad 
Rodrigo,  was  the  general  expectation ;  nor  was  it  thought  by 
any  that  Ciudad  could  make  a  long  or  an  effectual  defence. 
Nevertheless  its  old  walls  and  imperfect  defences  had  been  put 
into  a  respectable  condition,  and  the  garrison  was  very  amply 
supplied  with  stores  and  ammunition :  but,  as  the  place  is  com- 
manded from  many  points,  as  its  outworks  would  in  the  end 
materially  assist  the  besiegers;  and  as  there  was  no  protection 
either  for  the  soldiers  or  inhabitants  from  shells,  it  was  not 
deemed  a  serious  obstacle,  or  considered  as  giving  promise  of 
any  long  delay  to  the  enemy's  advance.  Nevertheless,  don 
Perez  de  Herrasti,  the  governor,  though  an  old,  was  a  tried 
man ;  and  had  been  formerly  the  friend  and  comrade  of  Mariano 
Alvarez. 

Within  the  Portuguese  frontier,  the  fortress  c^f  Almpifln  was 
put  in  an  excellent  state  of  defence.  A  British  cSTBhel,  with 
a  garrison  of  5000  Portuguese,  was  appointed  governor ;  and 
the  most  sanguine  expectations  were  formed  concerning  the 
stout  resistance  it  would  offer. 

At  the  same  time  it  was  within  the  bounds  of  possibility  that 
the  enemy,  who  had  now  collected  upon  the  Tormes  and  the 
Agueda  one  of  those  vast  armies  with  which  they  had  so  often 
swept  along  the  path  of  victory  with  the  rush  as  of  a  whirlwind, 
might  now  attempt  one  of  those  sudden  and  fierce  irruptions 
which,  if  successful  in  its  opening  burst,  would  roll  forwards 
with  a  rapid  and  terrific  strength  to  be  stayed  by  no  human 
effort. 
As  early  as  the  month  of  May,  three  corps  d'armee  were 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  171 

united  under  the  command  of  Massena,  with  the  title  of  the 
army  of  Portugal. 

It  was  generally  believed  that  this  favorite  child  of  victory 
was  chosen  by  his  imperial  master  to  consummate  a  long  career 
of  skill,  exertion,  and  valor,  by  the  conquest  of  this  kingdom, 
and  would  be  assuredly  rewarded  by  its  crown.  Neither  was 
he  meanly  provided  for  this  resolved  achievement  A  host  of 
more  than  70,000  experienced  and  intrepid  soldiers  were  mar- 
shalled beneath  the  eagles  of  Napoleon,  and  stood  ready  in  array 
awaiting  only  the  signal  to  advance  ;  but  Wellington  lay  among 
the  hills,  and  the  British  lion  was  in  the  way. 


CHAP.  xvni. 

THE   ADVANCE  OF  MASSENA. — THE   SIEGE   AND   CAPTURE  OF  CIUDAD   ROD- 

RIGO. THE  INVASION  OF  PORTUGAL. — THE  SUDDEN  FALL  OF  ALMEIDA. 

THE  DISPOSITIONS  OF  WELLINGTON. THE  BATTLE  OF  BU8AC0. 

The  reputation  of  Massena,  the  strength  of  the  army  of  Por- 
tugal, and  the  knowledge  that  a  body  of  the  imperial  guards  had 
already  crossed  the  P3rrenees,  elated  the  French  soldiers. 

The  campaign  for  which  they  were  assembled  was  thus  in- 
vested with  a  character  of  high  importance;  and  they  were 
animated  with  the  hope,  that  on  tlie  day  of  battle  they  should  be 
commanded  by  the  Emperor  in  person.  This  last  expectation 
was  somewhat  strengthened  by  a  delay  in  the  commencement 
of  operations,  and  was  still  entertained  by  the  men  long  after  it 
had  been  dismissed  from  the  minds  of  their  officers. 

But  the  delay  had  other  causes.  The  fields  of  Roli^a,  Vi- 
meiro,  and  Corunna,  the  passage  of  the  Douro,  and  the  battle  of 
Talavera,  had  satisfied  Napoleon  that  tlie  British  troops  and 
their  general  were  to  be  duly  respected;  therefore  Massena 
WBs  instructed  to  proceed  warily  and  by  rule.  With  50,000 
men  he  formally  invested  the  fortress  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  upon 
the  4th  of  June,  1810.  The  communications  of  tlie  besiegers 
were  immediately  secured  by  bridges  thrown  across  the  Agueda, 
both  above  and  below  the  town.  The  French  broke  ground  on 
the  13th,  upon  a  ridge  called  tlie  Greater  Tcson,  which  over- 
looks the  walls  of  Rodrigo  at  a  distance  of  600  yards.  In  the 
night  of  the  22d,  the  fomous  partisan  Julian  Sancnez,  who,  with 
200  horsemen,  had  been  suddenly  shut  into  the  place  by  the 
cavalry  of  the  investing  army,  led  his  people  out  silently,  cut  a 
way  through  the  French  posts,  and  joined  the  advanced  division 
of  the  allieid  army  without  loss. 

Upon  the  i'jtli  the  French  batteries,  mounting  six-and-forty 
guns  and  all  directed  upon  one  point,  opened  a  heavy  fire,  to 


172  iMILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

which  the  besieged  replied  with  great  vigor  and  effect.  Upon 
the  27th  the  place  was  summoned  by  Massena;  but  the  gov- 
ernor had  no  thought  of  surrender,  and  the  siege  was  continued. 
The  suburb  of  San  Francisco,  on  the  north-east,  and  tlie  con- 
vent of  Santa  Cruz,  on  the  north-west,  formed  natural  and  con- 
venient outworks  to  the  city.  These  were  now  attacked  by  the 
French  troops,  and,  after  a  most  gallant  resistance,  by  which  the 
French  suffered  a  very  severe  loss,  were  finally  carried.  This 
done,  the  besiegers  established  their  batteries  upon  the  Lesser 
Teson,  a  lower  ridge  rising  in  front  of  the  Greater,  but  only 
150  yards  from  the  ditch. 

These  batteries  opened,  on  the  9th  of  July,  with  a  furious  and 
weighty  fire:  in  twenty-four  hours  the  Spanish  guns  were 
silenced;  many  houses  were  in  flames;  the  counterscarp  had 
been  blown  into  the  ditch  by  a  mine  ;  and  a  way  into  the  place, 
wide  and  easy,  lay  open  to  the  besiegers.  The  French  columns 
mustered  immediately  for  the  storm :  they  waited  only  for  the 
word  "advance,"  when  the  white  flag  was  hoisted  upon  the 
walls,  and  the  city  surrendered. 

During  tliis  siege,  so  creditable  to  the  garrison  and  the  citi- 
zens, lord  Wellington  was  often  and  strongly  urged  by  the 
Spanish  government  to  relieve  the  place;  and  Romana  came 
from  Badajos  to  press  the  solicitation  in  person.  Had  such  a 
measure  been  possible,  consistently  with  that  high  duty  to 
which  he  stood  pledged  as  the  defender  of  Portugal,  lord  Wel- 
lington had  needed  no  other  voice  to  prompt  such  an  effort,  than 
the  sound  of  that  distant  cannonade,  which  daily  told  him  that 
Herrasti,  the  governor,  was  a  true  man,  and  the  Spaniards  were 
faithful.  He  transferred  his  head-quarters,  during  the  siege,  to 
Alverca,  a  village  half-way  between  Almeida  and  Cclerico,  in 
the  faint  hope  that  the  enemy,  by  making  some  large  detach- 
ment or  false  disposition,  might  afford  him  an  opportunity  to 
strike  a  sudden  blow.  The  opportunity,  however,  was  not 
given.  Massena  would  have  decoyed  the  British  forv.'ard,  if 
possible ;  but  the  mind's  eye  of  Wellington  looked  in  upon  his 
councils ;  his  various  feints  were  seen  through ;  and,  in  the 
face  of  60,000  French  soldiers,  well  commanded,  it  had  been  to 
invite  destruction,  if,  with  onlj'^  25,000  British  and  Portuguese, 
the  latter  as  yet  untried,  the  English  general  had  advanced  into 
the  plain. 

During  all  the  operations  of  the  French  preparatory  to  and 
pending  the  siege  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  the  country  between  the 
Azava  and  the  Coa  was  covered  and  protected  by  tlie  light  divi- 
sion of  the  British  army  under  general  Robert  Crawfurd.  The 
bold  countenance  and  perfect  discipline  of  these  troops  were  the 
admiration  of  both  armies ;  and  the  ability  with  which  general 
Ciawfurd  had  commanded  them  for  three  months,  in  their  im- 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELUNGTON.  173 

portant  and  arduous  duties  in  advance,  was  a  theme  of  constant 
praise. 

This  begot,  perhaps,  in  the  mind  of  the  general  a  natural  de- 
sire of  yet  higher  distinction,  which  brought  on  a  very  useless 
action  upon  the  Coa. 

As  early  as  the  4th  of  July,  the  enemy,  considering  the  fiill 
of  Ciudad  Rodrigo  near,  assembled  a  strong  body  at  Marialva, 
crossed  the  Agueda  in  force,  and  obliged  Crawfurd's  advance  to 
fall  back  upon  Almeida. 

The  British  retired  in  good  order,  and  the  movement  was 
covered  by  brilliant  skirmishing.  The  first  German  hussars  and 
the  third  Portuguese  ca^adores  were  particularly  distinguished  ; 
a  troop  of  the  former,  under  captain  Krauclienberg,  checked  a 
column  of  French  horse  by  a  most  gallant  charge;  and  the 
Portuguese  battalion  under  Lieutenantrcolonel  Elder  displayed 
such  steadiness  near  Almeida  as  gave  good  promise  of  the  effi- 
ciency of  our  allieSi. 

There  was  another  affair  of  posts  upon  tlie  11th,  in  which 
colonel  Talbot,  of  the  14th  light  dragoons,  was  slain,  in  a  brave 
but  vain  attempt  to  break  in  upon  a  small  square  of  French  in- 
fentry.  These  various  skirmishes  were  conducted,  on  both 
sides,  with  a  dashing  and  emulous  spirit  Crawfurd  now  took 
up  a  position  near  Almeida,  waitmg  the  enemy's  further  move- 
ments ;  but,  having  the  express  command  of  lord  Wellington  to 
pass  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Coa,  without  fighting,  the  very  mo- 
ment the  enemy  advanced  in  strength. 

This  order,  with  an  ambition  that  blinded  his  judgment,  gene- 
ral Crawfurd  di«)beyed. 

He  remained  in  position  till  Ney  with  a  complete  corps  of  the 
French  army  was  upon  him ;  and  to  this  overwhelming  force  he 
had  only  5(K)f)  men  to  oppose.  A  severe  action  was  fought  upon 
the  24th  of  July,  in  which  no  single  object  was  gained.  The 
British  had  to  cross  the  Coa  under  every  possible  disadvantage ; 
but  they  made  good  the  left  bank  and  the  bridge,  and  from  Siis 
last  position  inflicted  a  very  heavy  loss  upon  the  enemy. 

They  are  said  to  have  had  KKX)  men  killed  and  wounded, 
and  the  allies  about  320,  including  from  forty  to  fifty  of  the 
Portuguese. 

To  the  regiments  of  the  light  division  this  engagement  was 
highly  honorable. 

With  this  action  the  invasion  of  Portugal  opened.  It  did  not, 
however,  retard  the  investment  of  Almeida  for  one  day.  GJene- 
ral  Crawfurd  only  held  his  ground  till  nightfall,  and  then 
witlidrew. 

While  these  things  were  passing  in  the  north  of  Portugal, 
general  Hill  commanded  a  corps  in  the  Alemtejo,  composed  of 
a  division  of  Britisli  and  one  of  Portuguese  infiintry,  with  1000 
P2 


174  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

horse, — in  all  about  14,000  men, — and  carefully  watched  the 
movements  of  the  French  corps  under  Regnier  in  Spanish 
Estremadura. 

At  last,  upon  the  10th  of  July,  Regoiier  marclied  from  Merida, 
leaving  a  rear-guard  for  a  few  days  in  occupation  of  that  city, 
to  cover  his  intention ;  and,  moving  swiftly  towards  the  Tagus, 
crossed  that  river  at  Alconete  and  Almaraz.  By  a  rapid  paral- 
lel march,  Hill  effected  the  passage  of  the  Tagus  at  Villa  Velha, 
in  time  to  reach  Castello  Branco  by  the  21st.  At  this  place 
general  Hill  was  reinforced  by  a  brigade  of  Portuguese  cavalry, 
under  general  Fane.  Keeping  his  advance  at  Castello  Branco, 
he  formed  his  encampment  at  Sarzedaz,  and  thus  communicated 
with  Guarda  by  the  road  over  the  Estrella,  and  covered  all  the 
avenues  through  soutliern  Beira. 

A  reserve  of  2000  British,  lately  arrived,  and  8000  Portu- 
guese troops,  were  assembled  at  Thomar,  under  general  Leith ; 
and  these  troops,  holding  the  line  of  the  Zezere,  lay  ready 
either  to  support  Hill,  or  march  northward,  as  circumstances 
might  arise.  The  main  body  of  the  army,  under  the  personal 
command  of  lord  Wellington,  including  the  light  division,  did 
not  exceed  28,000  men. 

From  the  day  of  Crawfurd's  action  the  situation  of  Welling- 
ton became  anxious  and  critical.  It  seemed  doubtful  whether 
Massena  would  lay  siege  to  Almeida.  He  invested  it ;  but  his 
further  intention  was  not  soon  manifest.  In  Ciudad  Rodrigo  he 
was  already  provided  with  a  place  of  arms :  he  was  known  to 
have  collected  large  stores  of  provision.  He  had  an  army  very 
superior  in  numbers  generally,  and  overpoweringly  strong  in 
horse ;  and  with  him,  therefore,  lay  the  choice  of  routes  and 
operations.  Lord  Wellington  maintained  his  advanced  position 
for  some  days,  intently  watching  his  adversary,  then  gradually 
withdrew  the  greater  part  of  his  infantry  behind  the  Mondego; 
but,  with  the  fourth  division,  he  still  held  Guarda.  Thus  hi? 
retreat  was  secure  and  easy ;  and  the  most  admirable  arrange- 
ments were  made  to  rid  the  army  of  all  encumbrances,  and  keep 
its  line  of  march  free  and  open. 

Upon  the  4th  of  August  the  British  general  issued  the  memo- 
rable proclamation,  commanding  the  inhabitants  of  all  that  por- 
tion of  the  country  which  the  military  means  at  his  disposal 
were  not  able  to  protect,  to  evacuate  their  homes,  to  remove 
tlieir  goods,  to  drive  their  cattle,  and  to  destroy  all  stores  and 
provision  for  which  they  had  no  transport. 

The  magistrates  and  authorities  in  the  villages  and  towns 
were  advised,  that  if,  after  receiving  the  order  to  remove  from 
tlie  military  officers  who  would  be  charged  with  the  delivery  of 
it  at  the  proper  moment,  they  remained  to  receive  the  invaders, 
they  would  be  considered  traitors,  and  punished  accordingly. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  176 

Already  the  inhabitants  of  many  places  upon  tlie  frontier, 
who,  confiding  in  the  promises  of  protection  and  friendship  an- 
nounced by  the  proclamation  of  Alassena,  had  staid  peaceably  in 
their  houses,  were  lamenting  their  credulity  amid  scenes  of 
plunder,  violation,  and  blood ! 

The  events  of  war  hang  ever  upon  Providence ;  and,  when 
human  wisdom  has  done  its  best,  and  human  courage  is  ready  to 
do  its  utmost,  a  spark  blown  by  the  wind  is  sufficient  to  baffle 
both.  Almeida  was  a  fortress  regularly  constructed ;  the  garri- 
son consisted  of  4000  Portuguese,  with  colonel  Cox,  an  English- 
man, for  the  governor.  It  was  well  provided,  and  was  expected 
to  offer  so  long  a  resistance,  as  might  delay  the  advance  of  the 
invaders  till  tlie  falling  of  tlie  autumnal  rains.  IVIa-ssena  broke 
ground  before  the  place  on  the  night  of  the  15th  of  August :  on 
the  morning  of  Sunday  the  26th,  his  batteries  opened  their  fire 
from  sixty-five  pieces  of  cannon.  The  same  evening,  after 
dark,  the  great  magazine  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  fired  by  a 
shell,  which  fell  upon  some  ammunition  at  the  door,  suddenly 
exploded.  The  noise  was  loud  as  thunder,  and  most  terrific 
The  destruction  was  appalling :  many  hundreds  both  of  the  gar- 
rison and  the  inhabitants  were  killed ;  solid  buildings  shook  and 
fell ;  ponderous  cannon  were  thrown  from  their  place. 

The  governor,  however,  beat  instantly  to  arms,  and,  with  a 
few  courageous  gunners,  hurried  to  the  ramparts,  and  opened 
fire  upon  tlie  enemy  from  such  pieces  as  were  not  dismounted 
by  the  shock.  The  sudden  assault,  naturally  apprehendrd,  was 
not  given ;  for  the  besiegers  were  too  much  surprised  themselves 
to  profit  that  night  by  the  confusion  which  prevailed.  The  next 
day  they  demanded  the  immediate  surrender  of  the  place.  Col- 
onel Cox,  the  governor,  after  vain  and  earnest  eflbrts  to  coun- 
teract tlie  fear  of  the  mutinous  opposition  of  his  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, and  betrayed  by  the  very  officer  wiiom  he  had  sent  to  the 
enemy's  camp  to  demand  terms,  was  compelled  to  yield  up  the 
fortress.  The  only  conditions  granted  were,  that  tlie  regular 
troops  should  be  prisoners  of  war,  but  tliat  the  militia  should  re- 
turn home  and  serve  no  more. 

in  contempt  of  this  agreement,  Massena  forcibly  detained 
the  militiamen,  and  embodied  them  as  pioneers:  moreover,  by 
false  representations  and  threats,  he  induced  or  compelled  the 
regulars  to  enrol  themselves  in  the  French  service.  These 
men  were  placed  under  the  command  of  some  Portuguese  rene- 
gades, who,  with  the  Marcjues  de  Alorna  for  a  leader,  accom- 
panied tlie  head-quarters  of  marshal  Massena. 

Lord  Wellington,  being  deeply  skilled  in  human  nature,  and 
understJinding  the  difficulties  of  tliese  ignorant,  oppressed,  and 
deluded  sohhers,  contrived  to  let  tliem  feel  assuretl  of  a  ready 
welcome  without  reproach ;  and,  in  consequence,  nearly  all  of 


176  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

them  returned  to  the  allied  army,  and  rejoined  the  standard  of 
Portugal. 

When  the  French  commenced  their  operations  against  Al- 
meida, lord  Wellington  moved  up  the  Portuguese  troops  that 
were  two  or  three  marches  in  the  rear,  and  recrossed  the  Mon- 
dego,  in  full  strength,  to  observe  and  support  the  defence  of  that 
fortress. 

The  early  fall  of  Almeida  broke  many  of  liis  hopes  and  many 
of  his  combinations.  Even  as  it  was,  had  Cox  succeeded  in 
gaining  two  or  three  days'  time,  lord  Wellington  might,  and 
probably  would  have  brought  off  the  garrison.  The  silence  of 
their  fire,  and  the  shattered  appearance  of  the  town,  told  him  on 
the  27th,  that  the  explosion  of  the  preceding  evening  had  proba- 
bly reduced  them  to  a  difficult  condition.  Upon  the  morning 
of  the  29th,  he  ascertained,  in  a  personal  reconnoissance,  by  the 
help  of'  his  glass,  that  the  French  were  already  in  possession  of 
the  place. 

The  British  general  now  once  more  withdrew  his  forces  be- 
hind the  Mondego ;  fixed  his  cavalry  at  Celerico,  placed  posts 
at  Guarda  and  Trancoso,  and  established  the  head-quarters  at 
Grouvea.  The  forward  march  of  the  enemy  might  now  be 
hourly  expected,  thougli  the  line  of  it  was  not  at  all  as  yet  indi- 
cated by  the  movements  either  of  Massena  himself,  or  of  the 
left  corps  under  Regnier.  After  the  tall  of  Almeida,  the  in- 
vader lay  for  a  time  inactive,  and  his  plan  was  yet  to  be  devel- 
oped. It  was  necessary  to  watch  the  heads  of  all  his  columns 
with  great  jealousy. 

At  tills  most  anxious  and  trying  period,  the  firmness  of  lord 
Wellington  was  the  rock  upon  which  all  the  best  and  the  most 
honorable  hopes  of  the  army  were  built. 

It  was  very  generally  suspected  that  he  was  but  feebly  sup- 
ported by  ministers  at  home :  it  was  known  that  recent  changes 
in  the  government  of  Portugal  rendered  it  less  zealous  and  ef- 
ficient than  heretofore.  Defeat,  discomfiture,  flight  to  our  ships, 
and  abandonment  of  our  allies,  were  the  daily  prophecies  of 
certain  English  newspapers,  and  were  reprinted  by  Napoleon's 
press,  to  reconcile  France  to  a  war  that  was  dishonoring  and 
devouring  her  best  soldiers. 

Some  minds  yield  so  passively  to  what  is  impressed  upon 
them  by  the  papers  which  they  habitually  read,  that,  in  the  very 
camp,  brave  and  intelligent  officers  were  found  to  entertain  the 
same  views,  to  reiterate  the  same  croakings,  and  to  color  all 
their  correspondence  with  the  like  dismal  hue.  Many  were  the 
mischievous  and  desponding  letters  written  from  the  anny,  not 
only  to  friends  in  England,  but  to  acquaintances  at  Lisbon  and 
Oporto.  Some  letters  to  this  last  place  excited  the  utmost 
alarm  and  consternation  at  a  moment  when  it  was  especially  de- 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  ITT 

sirable  to  keep  that  city  tranquil.  Lord  Wellington  reproved 
these  ignorant  and  indiscreet  letter-writers  in  a  general  order, 
which  was  worded  with  such  forbearance  and  dignity,  and  con- 
veyed so  keen  a  sarcasm  on  the  offenders,  as  very  effectually 
reclaimed  most  of  them  from  their  perverse  folly. 

It  was  provoking  and  mortifying  to  a  great  commander  that 
such  things  should  be  done  by  the  very  officers  who  fought  under 
his  orders,  of  whom  he  well  knew  tliat  tliey  would  readily  shed 
their  blood  for  the  honor  of  the  British  arms ;  and,  professionally, 
would  consider  his  praise  as  their  highest  reward.  But  Wel- 
lington had  neither  the  disposition  nor  the  time  to  dwell  upon 
mortifications :  he  had  something  to  do.  In  the  middle  of  Sep- 
tember, Massena  marched  in  three  columns  on  Viseu,  and  lord 
Wellington  retired  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Mondego.  The 
French  army  was  assembled  at  Viseu  on  the  22d ;  and  Welling- 
ton, leaving  the  light  division  and  the  cavalry  at  Martagoa,  on 
the  Criz,  withdrew  behind  the  Alva. 

It  was  now  evident  that  the  French  marshal  had  selected  for 
his  line  of  march  a  road  upon  the  north  of  the  Mondego,  which 
traverses  the  Serra  de  Busaco  to  Coimbra.  The  Serra  de 
Busaco  is  a  branch  of  that  range  of  mountains  in  the  north 
which  bounds  the  valley  of  the  Vouga :  it  terminates  with  a  fall 
almost  perpendicular,  upon  the  Mondego ;  and,  on  the  opposite 
bank  of  that  river,  a  mountain  range,  called  the  Serra  de  Mur- 
cella,  continues  the  line  of  Busaco.  The  city  of  Coimbra  is 
distant  from  Busaco  about  three  leagues. 

The  choice  of  the  enemy,  who  had  now  evidently  given  up 
those  routes  leading  by  the  Estrella  and  the  mountains  of  Castef- 
lo  Branco,  upon  Abrantes  and  the  Zezere,  lay  between  two 
roads,  the  one  traversing  the  Murcella  range,  on  the  south  of  the 
Mondego,  the  other  Busaco,  on  the  north,  and  both  leading  into 
Portuguese  Estremadura. 

The  corps  of  Hill,  and  the  reserve  under  I^ith,  lay  guarding 
the  line  of  the  Tagus  and  tlie  Zezere  to  the  very  last  moment 
in  which  any  doubt  could  be  admitted  as  to  the  direction  of  the 
enemy's  march.  General  Hill's  columns  were  already  in  mo- 
tion, anticipating  tlie  summons  of  lord  Wellingtt^n,  when  it  ar- 
rived ;  so  entirely  had  general  Hill  been  placed  in  the  con- 
fidence of  his  chief,  and  so  great  had  been  his  own  vigilance 
and  good  success  in  obtaining  information. 

No  sooner  had  Wellington  ascertained  the  direction  of  Ma»- 
sena's  march  (by  tliat  marshal  passing  tlio  (Viz  in  strength  on 
the  223(1),  tiian  he  tlirew  himself,  witli  nearly  his  whole  force, 
from  the  soutli  to  the  nortli  of  the  Mondego,  and  occupied 
Busaco. 

Here,  by  his  own  admirable  combinations,  and  by  the  rapid 
and  well-regulated  movements  of  general  Hill,  and  of  the  r^ 


178  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

serve  under  general  Leith,  his  whole  army  was,  at  the  required 
moment,  concentrated  in  a  battle  position,  and  one  eminently 
favorable  for  the  first  great  trial  of  the  Portuguese  levies. 

As  the  enemy  advanced  into  Portugal,  the  militia  and  Orde- 
nanza  closed  upon  his  flank  and  rear.  Upon  the  20th  of  Sep- 
tember, colonel  Trant,  with  his  division,  came  upon  the  escort 
of  their  military  chest  and  reserve  artillery,  and  very  briskly 
attacked  it.  He  took  two  officers  and  one  hundred  men  prison- 
ers, and  caused  great  confusion ;  but  a  force  was  rapidly  brought 
to  bear  upon  him,  and  the  chest  and  the  artillery  were  saved. 

The  French  abandoned  their  communication  with  Almeida  in 
pursuance  of  Massena's  plan :  his  object  was  one  and  undivided. 
He  gathered  his  forces  in  one  solid  host ;  issued  to  every  soldier 
a  supply  of  biscuit  for  fifteen  days ;  and  calculated  on  pene- 
trating to  Coimbra  before  Wellington  could  collect  an  army 
strong  enough  to  oppose  his  march. 

The  Serra  de  Busaco  covers  Coimbra:  it  extends  from  the 
Mondego  in  a  northerly  direction  about  eight  miles ;  it  is  a  lofty 
ridge ;  the  face  of  it  very  steep ;  here,  covered  with  short  coarse 
grass,  there,  rugged  with  huge  stones ;  and  its  summit,  to  the 
east,  is  in  many  places  pointed  with  sharp  rocks.  But  it  is  in- 
tersected by  a  few  gorges  and  defiles,  up  which  flocks  are  driven 
and  mules  traveL  At  the  loftiest  summit,  about  two  miles  from 
its  northern  extremity,  is  a  lonely  convent  of  barefooted  Carmel- 
ites, situated  in  a  woody  garden  or  desert.  Here  Wellington 
fixed  his  head-quarters ;  and  from  hence  he  saw  the  dust  and 
glitter  of  those  vast  and  formidable  columns  which,  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach,  covered  the  country  in  front  with  the  invaders 
and  their  train. 

General  Hill  crossed  the  Mondego,  by  a  short  movement  to 
his  left,  on  the  morning  of  the  26th,  leaving  colonel  Le  Cor, 
with  a  Portuguese  brigade,  on  the  Serra  de  Murcella,  and  gene- 
ral Fane,  with  his  division  of  Portuguese  cavalry  and  the  13th 
light  dragoons,  in  front  of  the  Alva.  Thus,  the  right  of  the 
army  was  covered,  and  the  movements  of  the  enemy's  horse 
upon  the  Mondego  were  observed  and  held  in  check.  All  the 
divisions  of  the  allied  infantry  were  formed  upon  the  Serra  de 
Busaco ;  and  the  main  body  of  the  cavalry  lay  in  observation 
upon  the  plain  in  rear  of  the  British  left,  and  watched  the  road 
which  leads  from  Mortagoa  to  Oporto,  through  a  mountainous 
tract,  which  connects  Busaco  with  Caramula,  a  serra  that  ex- 
tends, in  a  northerly  direction,  beyond  Viseu,  and  separates  the 
valleys  of  the  Mondego  and  the  Douro.  Upon  the  evening  of 
the  26th,  the  army  of  Portugal,  a  dark  and  dense  multitude,  re- 
posed in  massive  columns  at  the  foot  of  tlie  allied  position,  which 
rose  abruptly  above  them  to  an  elevation  of  from  two  to  three 
hundred  feet 


THK  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON,  179 

The  French  numbered  near  70,000  combatants,  formidable  for 
their  discipline,  famous  for  their  valor,  and  filled  with  the  proud 
memories  of  many  a  field  of  glory.  TJiree  marshals  of  France 
commanded  these  legions,  and  the  chief  of  them  was  renowned 
by  a  life  of  great  successes. 

Five-and-twenty  thousand  British  soldiers,  and  a  like  number 
of  Portuguese,  lay  upon  the  backward  slope  of  the  serra,  by  the 
rocky  ridge  of  which  their  disposition  and  immbers  were  con- 
cealed. This  was  a  great  advantage;  for  the  position  was  so 
extensive,  that  50,000  men  did  but  thinly  garnish  it;  an  evil 
compensated  for  by  a  smooth  and  easy  communication  from  right 
to  left. 

Here  it  was  that  lord  Wellington  first  showed  to  the  Portu- 
guese levies  the  array  of  their  invaders ;  and  here  allotted  to 
them,  for  their  first  essay  in  arms,  the  hopeful  duty  of  repulsing, 
by  the  side  of  British  soldiers,  one  of  those  haughty  and  rash 
assaults  which  his  knowledge  of  the  French  character,  and  his 
observation  of  Massena's  recent  movements,  encouraged  him  to 
expect. 

As  early  as  two  in  the  morning  of  the  27tli,  the  sentinels  on 
their  piquet  posts  could  hear  the  stir  of  preparation  in  the 
French  camp ;  and  the  British  line  stood  silently  to  arms.  In 
tlie  order  of  battle  Hill  occupied  the  right,  with  Leith  upon  his 
left,  and  the  Lusitanian  legion  in  reserve.  Next  in  order  stood 
the  tliird  division  under  Picton.  The  first  division  was  formed 
near  the  convent,  with  the  brigade  of  Pack  posted  considerably 
in  advance  on  the  descent.  The  light  division  was  formed  on 
the  left  of  Pack;  and,  in  like  manner,  upon  the  descent  from 
that  lofty  culm  where  the  convent  stood,  and  nearly  half  a  mile 
in  front  of  it  A  swell  of  earth  and  rock  concealed  their  line 
from  the  enemy ;  while  at  some  distance  behind  tlieir  post,  a 
brigade  of  German  infantry  stood  exposed  to  the  fiiU  view  of  an 
advancing  enemy,  and  was,  apparently,  the  only  body  opposed  to 
them.  The  fourtJi  division,  under  general  Cole,  held  tlie  extreme 
left  of  the  ridge,  covering  tlie  road  which  led  across  to  Milheada, 
where,  in  the  flat  country,  the  British  cavalry  were  drawn  up 
in  reserve.  The  British  and  Portuguese  artillery  was  distributed 
along  the  front,  at  those  points  where  it  could  be  employed  with 
tlie  best  effect.  The  three  rugged  roads,  whicii  ascend  and 
traverse  the  serra  to  Coimbra,  were  especially  provided  for  in 
the  general  disposition. 

The  gray  mist  of  early  dawn  hung  yet  upon  the  mountain, 
and  it  was  but  a  doubtful  light  when  the  enemy  advanceil  to  the 
attack.  Two  columns,  under  Rcgnier,  presse<l  up  to  the  assault 
of  the  third  division;  and  three,  under  Ney,  moved  rapidly 
against  the  convent  These  points  of  attaClT^'ere  about  tliree 
miles  asunder.    The  firing  hrst  opened  in  front  of  Crawfurd's 


180  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

division ;  but,  despite  its  earnest  loudness,  at  the  first  iaint  re- 
port of  guns  from  the  right,  Wellington,  anticipating  the  object 
of  Massena,  rode  thither,  and  found,  as  he  had  expected,  tliat 
the  main  effort  of  the  enemy  was  to  possess  themselves  of  the 
road  which  traverses  the  Busaco,  from  St.  Antonio  de  Cantara, 
and  to  turn  his  right.  They  were  ignorant  of  the  presence  of 
generals  Hill  and  Leith,  and  considered  themselves  engaged 
with  the  extreme  right  of  the  British.  But,  from  the  summit 
of  that  rocky  brow,  which  they  had  ascended  through  a  storm 
of  opposing  fire  with  astonishing  resolution,  and  for  which  they 
were  still  contending,  though  vainly,  with  the  brave  division  of 
Picton,  they  beheld  the  strong  and  steady  columns  of  those  gen- 
erals moving  swiftly  to  the  scene  of  action.  The  right  of  the 
third  division  had  been,  in  the  first  instance,  borne  back :  the  8th 
Portuguese  had  suffered  most  severely ;  the  enemy  had  formed, 
in  good  order,  upon  the  ground  which  tliey  had  so  boldly  won, 
and  were  preparing  to  bear  down  to  the  right,  and  sweep  our 
field  of  battle.  Lord  Wellington  arrived  on  the  spot  at  this  mo- 
ment, and  aided  the  gallant  efforts  of  Picton's  regiments,  the 
fire  of  whose  musketry  was  terrible,  by  causing  two  guns  to 
play  upon  the  French  flank  with  grape.  Unshaken  even  with 
this  destruction,  they  still  Iield  their  ground,  till,  with  levelled 
bayonets  and  the  shout  of  the  charge,  the  45th  and  88th  regi- 
ments British,  most  gallantly  supported  by  the  8th  Portuguese, 
rushed  forwards,  and  hurried  them  down  the  mountain-side  with 
a  fearful  slaughter. 

There  was  yet  another  column  of  the  enemy,  which  had 
gained  possession  of  a  summit  beyond  the  line  of  Picton's  divis- 
ion. Upon  these,  colonel  Barnes's  brigade  of  general  Leith's 
corps,  headed  by  the  9th  regiment,  under  colonel  Cameron, 
marched  eagerly ;  and  they  were  borne  over  the  rocks,  though 
defending  themselves  with  a  fierce  fire  of  musketry  to  the  last, 
by  the  bayonets  of  the  brave  9th. 

The  able  dispositions  of  general  Crawfurd  in  fi-ont  of  the  con- 
vent rendered  the  assault  of  his  post  another  liopeless  effort 
They  advanced,  indeed,  with  great  ardor,  disregarding  tlie  mus- 
ketry of  the  light  troops,  and  the  bullets  of  tlie  artillery,  which 
caused  great  havoc  in  their  columns  as  they  ascended  the  steep 
heights ;  but  they  had  as  yet  no  footing  on  the  swellmg  ridge 
which  masked  the  line  formed  by  the  43d  and  52d  regiments, 
when,  at  the  given  word,  those  brave  regiments  ran  upon  them 
at  the  charge  step,  overthrew  their  column  with  the  bayonet, 
and,  halting,  pursued  them  with  a  close,  steady,  and  murderous 
fire,  which  strewed  the  line  of  their  retreat  with  the  dead  and 
the  disabled. 

The  loss  of  the  French  in  this  engagement  exceeded  500Q 
killed  and  wounded ;  among  the  former  was  a  general  named 


THE  DXJKB  OP  WELLINGTON.  181 

Grraindorge :  a  general  Simon,  and  about  300,  were  made  prison- 
ers. The  general  was  wounded,  as  were  many  of  tliose  taken. 
The  loss  on  the  part  of  the  allies  was  near  12(K»,  whereof  578 
were  Portuguese — being  then-  fair  and  full  proportion  of  honored 
sufferers. 

The  conduct  of  the  Portuguese  was  worthy  of  their  ancient 
fame.  By  the  victory  of  Busaco  they  were  inspired  witli  a 
confidence  in  Wellington,  and  with  a  pride  in  their  own  mili- 
tary character,  which  never  afterwards  forsook  them.  Their 
bearing  upon  tliis  field  was,  to  marshal  Beresford  especially,  and 
to  all  the  British  officers  serving  under  him,  a  very  high  honor, 
and  a  well-merited  reward. 


CHAP.  XIX. 

HABSENA  TURNS   THE   POSITION   OF    BUSACO. RETREAT  OP  THE  ALUES. 

THE  INHABITANTS  ON  THE  Lite  OF  MARCH  RETIRE  WITH  THE  TROOPS. 

MASSENA  HALTS  BEFORE  THE  LINES  OF  TORRES  VEDRAS. — HIS  HOSPITALS 

AT    COIMBRA    ARE   TAKEN. HE    FALLS   BACK    UPON    SANTAREM. LORD 

,    WELLINGTON  ADVANCES. 

The  pride  of  France  hatl  been  checked,  and  the  heart  of 
Portugal  had  been  cheered ;  but  it  was  not  by  the  ridge  of  Bu- 
saco that  the  strong  tide  of  invasion  could  eflfectually  be  stayed. 
It  was  not  here  that  the  kingdom  could  be  defended.  Severely 
taught  by  tlie  battle  of  the  iiTtli,  Mast-ena  did  not  venture  to  re- 
new his  assault  upon  so  strong  a  position;  and  proceeded  to 
compass  that  end  by  manoeuvre,  which  he  haJd  failed  to  effect  by 
force.  On  the  morning  of  tlie  28tli,  and  tliroughout  the  day, 
there  was  a  little  skirmishing  on  different  points  of  the  line. 

Towards  evening,  Massena  put  several  columns  in  motion  to 
his  right ;  and  it  was  ascertained  before  midnight  tliat  tlie  whole 
army  was  on  its  march  to  turn  the  British  left. 

Before  dawn  on  the  2(9lh,  the  position  of  Busaco  was  evac- 
uated. The  corps  of  Hill  recrossed  the  Mondcgo,  and  marched 
upon  Thomar,  and  the  divisions  of  the  main  body  of  tlie  allied 
force  defiled  to  tlie  rear  by  convenient  routes  with  perfect  order 
and  regularity.  But  lord  Wellington  had  other  foes  to  contend 
witJi  besides  Massena. 

Upon  his  first  appointment  to  the  high  station  of  marshal- 
general  of  Portugal,  all  his  suggestions  for  the  more  effectual 
defence  of  that  kinijtlom  had  been  readily  adopted  by  tlie  local 
government.  Nevertheless  the  nicniliers  of  that  goveniment 
were  disunited,  and  their  private  jealousies  and  divi-wn^  f.-i>,ii. 
nated  at  last  in  the  dissolution  of  the  ministry,  'i 
ya8Minasrcsi£Ti«lj.aniLfcur_new  members  were  ;  m) 

'Vol.  I.  Cr 


182  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

the  regency.  One  of  these  members,  the  ^Principal  Souza,  in 
every  possible  way  obstructed  the  measures  of  Wellington ;  and 
the  patriarch,  formerly  bishop  of  Oporto,  a  man  of  restless  ambi- 
tion and  great  influence,  supported  Souza  in  this  mean  and  em- 
barrassing hostility?! 

These  two  opposed,  as  openly  as  they  dared,  and  thwarted,  as 
constantly  as  they  could,  those  admirable  measures  which  the 
British  general  recommended,  and  by  which,  imperfectly  as  they 
were  adopted  and  enforced,  Portugal,  the  attempted  defence  of 
which  had  been  deemed  Quixotic  and  vain,  was  at  last  delivered 
from  her  invaders.  However,  in  thejnain,  the_voiceii£jhe  Por- 
tugjie§e  nation  wagwith  WellingtonTc^'he^eople,  the^cT^rgy, 
the  yoiiBg£r-ofiicersof~-tlie^9rti?^^nd  me  soldiers,  were  hearty 
and  enthusiastic  in  the  cause\  But  it  could  not  be  expected  tliat 
the  dignitaries  and  nobles  ofthe  kingdom  should  view,  without 
jealousy  and  apprehension,  an  authority  as  supreme  as  that  of  a 
sovereign,  exercised  by  a  foreign  general.  Nor  is  it  to  be  denied 
that  few  persons,  even  among  those  most  friendly  to  the  cause, 
could  comprehend  with  clearness,  or  entertain  with  calm  sub- 
mission, those  vast  designs,  which  a  bold  genius  was  alone  capa- 
ble of  conceiving ;  a  firm  and  mdomitable  spirit  alone  capable 
of  compelling  them,  despite  fear,  prejudice,  and  indolence,  to 
adopt^ 

One  part  of  the  plan  of  lord  Wellington,  and  a  very  import- 
ant one,  consisted  in  requiring  all  the  people  upon  the  line  of 
the  invaders'  advance  to  abandon  their  towns  and  villages,  to 
remove  or  destroy  all  their  property,  to  lay  waste  their  fields,  to 
drive  their  flocks  and  herds,  to  destroy  their  mills,  and  to  leave 
to  their  hungering  enemies  a  barren  desert. 

When  we  consider  of  whom  the  general  required  this  fearful 
sacrifice,  and  that  absolute  force  was  never  actually  employed 
by  the  government  to  make  the  inhabitants  obey  the  proclama- 
tion, it  is  rather  a  wonder  that  so  many  were  found  to  devastate 
their  own  lands,  and  to  abandon  tlie  pleasant  places  of  their 
birth,  than  that  some  should  hesitate  before  they  laid  waste  their 
farms,  and  linger  by  them  to  the  last.  Thus,  many  delayed  the 
destruction  of  their  little  store  till  the  vicinity  of  tlie  foe  alarmed 
them  into  that  flight  which  looks  not  behind ;  and  others,  from 
apathy,  fi'om  vain  hope,  or  dull  despair,  resolved  to  abide  all  the 
consequences  of  remaining  by  their  property,  or  at  most  to  run 
only  to  a  near  hiding-place  in  tlie  mountain  or  the  wood,  till  the 
storm  of  the  invasion  should  sweep  past  their  cottages,  and  they 
could  return  to  the  wreck  of  their  possessions.  Human  nature 
clings  with  a  fond  tenacity  to  home :  be  it  of  marble  or  of  straw, 
the  roof  that  has  sheltered  us  all  our  lives  is  dear.  JMoreover, 
in  a  country  like  Portugal,  the  inhabitants  of  towns  and  villages 
are  not  accustomed  to  travel  beyond  the  hills  or  streams  which 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  183 

bound  the  valley  of  their  birth ;  and  little  shrines  and  crucifixes 
in  their  eyes  sanctify  their  dwellings,  and  make  the  affection 
which  they  feel  for  their  hearths  partake  of  the  reverence  de- 
manded by  their  altars.  Nevertheless,  to  speak  generally,  the 
great  body  of  the  people  did  listen  to  the  warnings  and  com- 
mands of  Wellington.  It  will  remain  as  a  lasting  monument 
of  his  genius,  and  as  a  great  triumph  of  his  character,  that  he 
elicited  from  a  nation,  unwarlike,  slothful,  and  covetous,  a  spirit 
of  resistance,  of  exertion,  and  of  devotedness,  very  seldom  ex- 
emplified in  the  annals  of  history. 

As  the  allied  army  pursued  its  leisurely  and  orderly  march 
from  tlie  Mondego  to  the  lines,  it  found  the  villages  deserted ; 
the  mill  in  tlie  valley  motionless;  the  mountain  cottages  open 
and  untenanted ;  the  bells  of  tlie  monastery  silent ;  the  white 
churches  empty.  The  flanks  of  the  British  columns,  during  the 
three  or  four  last  marches,  were  literally  covered  witli  the  flying 
population.  A  few  of  the  richer  fugitives,  but  a  very  few,  still 
retained  cabriolets. and  mules  for  their  service.  Those  who  had 
bullock  cars,  asses,  or  any  mode  of  transporting  their  families 
and  property,  looked  contented  and  grateful;  for  respectable 
men  and  delicate  women  of  the  middle  classes  might  be  seen, 
on  every  side,  walking  slowly  and  painfully  on  foot  under  heavy 
burdens.  The  weather  happily  was  fine,  for  tlieir  flight  was  in 
the  season  of  the  vintage ;  the  cheerful  labors  of  which  light  and 
pleasing  harvest,  misery  had  suddenly  broken  in  upon  and  sus- 
pended. 

This  ma.ss  of  fugitives  took  two  different  directions  when  the 
army  reached  its  fortified  position; — a  part  passing  before  it, 
through  the  lines,  to  seek  shelter  at  Lisbon ;  and  another  cross- 
ing to  tlie  south  bank  of  the  Tagus,  and  entering  tliose  districts 
which  were  safe  from  the  enemy,  and  had  not  hitlierto  been 
seriously  menaced. 

The  allies  now  entered  tlie  lines  by  divisions,  and  each  gene- 
ral was  met,  on  the  last  day  of  the  retreat,  by  tlie  officer  ap- 
pointed to  conduct  his  troops  to  those  points  of  the  position  with 
the  defence  of  whicli  he  was  charged. 

The  march  from  Busaco,  a  distance  of  200  miles,  was  per- 
formed witliout  loss  or  irregularity,  save  one  scene  of  alarm  and 
confusion  in  tlie  narrow  streets  of  Condeixa ;  where,  however, 
by  the  exertions  of  the  officers  and  the  disciplme  of  the  troops, 
order  was  soon  restored. 

In  proportion  as  the  French  had  advanced,  tlie  allies  had  re- 
tired leisurely  before  them  in  echellons  of  divisions,  by  the  two 
roads  of  hlspinhal  and  of  Leyria,  to  tlio  banks  of  tlie  Tagus  and 
Torres  Ve<lraa  There  was  no  affair  during  these  movements 
of  greater  importance  than  a  few  skirmishes  of  horse.  Massona, 
upon  entering  Coiiabra,  and  finding  it  abandoned  to  him  witliout 


184  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

a  struggle,  made  a  halt  of  three  days,  and  suffered  his  sddiere 
to  commit  great  disorders ;  he  then  pursued  his  march,  leaving 
5000  sick  and  wounded  in  that  city.  Tliree  days  afterwards 
colonel  Trant,  an  officer  of  a  most  enterprising  spirit,  appeared 
before  Coimbra  with  a  body  of  Portuguese  militia,  and  captured 
the  whole  of  the  French  hospitals,  together  with  a  company  of 
the  marines  of  the  imperial  guard  left  there  to  protect  the  sick. 
By  these  men  little  resistance  could  be  made. 

Other  bodies  of  militia  and  of  organized  peasantry,  under 
colonels  Miller  and  Wilson,  acted  also  upon  the  enemy's  rear  in 
co-operation  with  Trant.  By  these  various  corps,  every  town  or 
post  which  the  French  evacuated  as  they  advanced  towards  Lis- 
bon, was  taken  immediate  possession  of  Nevertheless,  Massena 
marched  forward,  coufident  in  the  expectation  that  tiie  English 
were  going  to  their  ships,  and  would  look  to  notiiing  but  the  se- 
curity of  their  embarkation ;  or,  if  further,  only  to  make  the 
best  terms  possible  for  those  helpless  allies  whom  they  could  no 
longer  eftectually  support.  An  easy  success,  and  a  rich  reward, 
seemed  already  secure. 

When,  therefore,  upon  the  10th  of  October,  his  cavalry  and 
his  advanced  guard  drove  the  allies  out  of  Sobral,  and  his  eye 
rested  upon  the  formidable  works  that  barred  liis  progress ;  and 
from  his  own  roconnoissance,  and  the  reports  brought  to  liim,  he 
ascertained  the  stupendous  fact,  that  a  strong  defensive  position, 
extending  thirty  miles,  flanked  upon  its  right  by  the  broad 
Tagas,^-and_oa.  its-left  by  tlie  rough  Atlantic,  ha^Ssen&isii^ed 
aii4jirixiiid_mt4i-periact-art,-layish  expense,  and  incredible  labor, 
his  astonishmeat-was-'OTi^'exceeded  by  his  mortification. 

After  an  interval  of  three  days,  he  made  a  most  strict  recon- 
noissance  of  the  right  of  these  lines ;  and,  having  satisfied  his 
judgment  that  tliey  could  not  be  assailed  with  any  Jiope  of  suc- 
cess, he  disposed  his  three  corps  in  bivouac,  and  sat  down  quietly 
before  them.  This  examination  of  the  lines  caused  a  little  sharp 
skirmishing  on  the  14th  of  October,  on  «'hich  day  there  v/as  a 
brilliant  affair  near  Sobral,  where  a  redoubt,  held  by  the  71st 
regiment,  was  fiercely  attacked  by  a  strong  body  of  the  enemy. 
They  were  instantly  beat  back,  pursued  with  the  bayonet,  and 
driven  from  a  field-work  en  their  own  grounJ.  The  conduct  of 
the  71st  was  very  gallant ;  and  Cadogan,  their  ardent  command- 
er, in  a  personal  encounter,  received  a  cut  upon  his  sword, 
wliich  passed  several  inches  through  his  Scotch  bonnet.  The 
British  loss  here  was  nearly  100  killed  and  wounded.  After  this 
demonstration,  no  part  of  the  British  position  was  again  attacked. 

Indeed,  it  was  rather  a  mighty  and  impregnable  fortress  than 
a  camp.  Here  the  face  of  mountains  was  scarped — there  rivers 
dammed  to  make  defensive  inundations ;  wliile  upon  the  lines  of 
defence  a  triple  chain  of  redoubts  was  most  skilfully  disposed, 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  185 

From  these,  and  other  batteries,  600  pieces  of  cannon  swept  all 
the  approaches,  and  commanded  or  enfiladed  every  more  open 
point  The  right  of  these  lines  was  moreover  flanked  by  a  di- 
vision of  British  gun-boats  on  the  Tagus.  The  communications 
within  the  works  were  excellent,  and  all  the  roads  and  positions 
free  for  the  movement  of  tlie  troops.  Two  Spanish  divisions 
under  Romana  joined  the  British  at  this  period.  Large  bodies 
of  native  militia  and  ordenanca  were  collected  witliin  the  lines; 
a  very  fine  corps  of  English  marines  lay  in  reserve  near  Lisbon, 
and  a  great  fleet  was  in  th^  liarbor ;  and  these  vast  means  of 
defence  had  been  prepared  and  provided,  and  were  now  applied 
by  one  master  mind.  While  Massena  maintained  his  position  in 
front  of  the  allies  with  such  a  countenance  as  kept  tlie  troops  in 
the  lines  constantly  upon  tlie  alert,  his  own  army  endured  great 
sufferings.  Colonels  Trant  and  Wilson  were  acting  upon  his 
rear  with  unceasing  activity ;  provision  was  daily  becoming  more 
scanty  ;  the  country,  whicli  he  covered  with  his  bivouacs  and 
ravaged  witli  his  foragers,  was  exhausted ;  sickness  was  in  his 
ranks  ;  there  was  disunion  and  discontent  among  his  ofhccrs. 

Under  all  those  depressing  circumstances,  the  fortitude  of  the 
French  general  did  not  fail  him  Planting  liis  eagles  on  the 
towers  of  Lisbon  was  a  dismissed  dream ;  but  he  looked  realities 
stedfastly  in  the  face,  and  made  tlie  best  of  them.  Mis  cavalry 
patroled  in  strength  up  tlie  right  bank  of  the  Tagus,  and  a  divi- 
sion of  infantry  was  detached  to  bear  ujwn  Thomar:  thus  he 
gained  a  wider  range  for  his  foraging  parties,  and  more  effectu- 
ally kept  in  check  those  numerous  irregular  forces,  which,  from 
Abrantes  on  the  river  to  Peniche  upon  Uie  ocean,  surrounded  the 
invailing  force  by  an  elastic  chain  of  posts,  closely  adapting  itself 
to  every  change  of  its  position,  and  strictly  circumscribing  its 
power  to  the  ground  upon  which  it  stood. 

Massena  was  now  enabled  to  collect  a  few  boats  upon  the  Ze- 
zere  and  near  Santarem,  and  to  form  a  few  rafts  at  those  places, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  sweep  up  every  tiling  convertible  into 
food.  Tliese  provisions  were  carefully  stored  at  convenient  de- 
pdts,  princi[)ally  at  Barquina,  near  the  moutli  of  the  Zezere,  and 
at  Santarem.  This  done,  marshal  Ney  was  directed  to  establish 
the  head-quarters  of  his  corps  at  Thomar;  having  his  left  upon 
the  Zezere,  and  establishing  posts  beyond  Ourem.  Montbrun, 
with  the  main  body  of  the  cavalry,  marched  to  cantonments  near 
liCyria;  tlie  commander-in-chief  moved  to  Torres  Novas;  and 
the  hospitals  and  stores  of  the  army  were  place<l  in  security  at 
Santarem.  The  preparations  being  completed,  Massena  broke 
up  from  before  the  British  in  very  aidmirable  order.  In  tlic  night 
of  tlie  14th  of  November,  tlie  division  of  general  Clauscl  with- 
drew silently  from  Sobral ;  and  on  tlic  morning  of  the  irjth,  the 
whole  of  tlic  8th  corps  of  the  French  army  passed  througli  the 
Q2 


186  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

defile  of  Alemquer,  under  the  cover  of  a  strong  rear-guard,  and 
marched  upon  Torres  Novas.  The  2d  corps  of  the  French  army 
broke  up  from  Alhandra  at  the  same  time,  and  retired  upon 
Santarem. 

These  movements  were  planned  with  great  ability,  and  con- 
ducted with  the  most  cautious  secrecy ;  and  they  were  greatly 
favored  by  the  state  of  the  weather,  which  was  too  foggy  for  re- 
connoissance.  As  soon  as  lord  Wellington  found  that  the  enemy 
had  disappeared  from  Alhandra  and  Sobral,  he  put  two  divisions 
in  motion  to  follow  them  on  the  roads  to  Santarem  and  to  Alem- 
quer ;  but  he  relaxed  naught  of  his  vigilance,  and  kept  the  main 
body  of  the  army  steady  and  alert  within  the  lines,  for  twenty- 
four  hours  longer.  lie  knew  tliat  the  French  had  collected 
transports  at  Santarem,  as  if  to  menace  the  Alemtejo ;  he  Imew 
that  Massena  was  in  daily  expectation  of  reinforcements  from  the 
north,  and  that  they  were  actually  in  motion  to  join  him ;  there- 
fore it  was  not  clear  that  this  retrograde  movement  might  not 
be  a  wily  mancsuvre  of  Massena  to  put  his  jealousy  for  the  lines 
asleep,  by  a  feigned  retreat,  while,  by  a  rapid  and  forced  marcJi 
to  Torres  Vedras,  he  poured  the  main  strength  of  his  army  upon 
the  right  of  the  lines,  and  set  his  all  upon  that  desperate  cast. 
It  was  certainly  not  probable  that  a  general,  whose  hopes  and 
calculations  had  been  so  grievously  disappointed  and  deceived 
by  the  result  of  the  action  at  Busaco,  would  commit  so  rash  an 
act;  but  it  was  possible;  and  in  the  conduct  of  this  memorable 
campaign,  Wellington  left  nothing  indolently  to  providence,  but 
tliat  for  which  no  human  wisdom  or  ibresight  could  provide. 
Well  it  were  for  all  those  who  hold  the  doctrine  of  a  particular 
providence,  if  they  did,  nevertheless,  at  all  times  so  earnestly 
and  severely  labor,  as  if  all  depended  upon  themselves. 

At  the  request  of  lord  Wellington,  all  the  boats  of  the  fleet 
proceeded  up  the  Tagus,  under  the  command  of  admiral  Sir 
Thomas  Williams  and  captain  Beresford,  that  troops  might  cross 
to  the  left  bank,  and  oppose  the  design  of  the  enemy,  if  it  should 
prove  to  be  directed  against  the  Alemtejo. 

It  was  soon  discovered  that  nothing  was  intended  against  the 
lines,  and  that  the  French  army  was  marching  in  two  distinct 
and  heavy  columns ;  but  whether  their  retreat  was  directed  to- 
wards Spain  by  the  Zezere,  or  the  Mondego,  nothing  as  yet  in- 
dicated witli  any  clearness.  All  the  allies  were  now  put  in 
motion.  About  400  French  prisoners  were  taken  by  our  ad- 
vanced guards.  They  were  for  the  most  part  weak  and  sickly 
stragglers,  with  a  few  hardy  marauders,  who  had  ventured  too 
wide  of  their  line  of  march,  and  delayed  too  long.  From  these 
men  no  information  was  obtained.  It  was  reported  to  lord  Wel- 
lington from  the  left  bank  of  the  Tagus,  and  from  the  advanced 
squadrons,  that  the  enemy  was  in  full  retreat,  and  had  only  left 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  187 

a  rear-guard  in  Santarem.  It  was  known  that  Massena  had  cast 
two  bridges  over  the  Zezere ;  and  it  was  now  believed  that  he 
designed  to  retire  from  Portugal  altogether,  and  by  that  route. 
General  Hill  was  immediately  sent  across  the  Tagus  to  push  for 
Abrantes,  if  these  reports  should  be  confirmed ;  and,  upon  the 
19th,  lord  Wellington,  giving  some  credit  to  them,  prepared  to 
assault  the  heights  of  Santarem,  occupied,  as  it  was  thought,  by 
nothing  but  a  strong  rear-guard. 

Santarem  is  a  city  on  a  hill,  which  rises  abniptly  from  the 
Tagus ;  this  hill,  stretching  about  a  league  to  the  north,  furnishes 
a  steep  and  diificult  position.  The  walls  of  Santarem  form  tlie 
left  of  it ;  in  front  of  tliis  important  height,  a  range  of  lower  emi- 
nences, covered  by  the  streams  of  the  Rio  Mayor,  mask  the  main 
position,  furnishing  excellent  outposts.  The  ground  between 
these  and  a  hostile  force  advancing  by  the  great  road  from  Lis- 
bon, is  a  naked  open  flat,  traversed  for  the  last  600  yards  by  a 
raised  causeway.  By  this  alone  Santarem  can  be  approached ; 
as  on  one  side  of  the  Ponte  Seca  is  a  deep  wet  marsh,  quite  im- 
passable ;  and  on  the  other,  which  extends  to  the  Tagus,  it  is 
covered  with  reeds  and  sedges,  and  deep  water  cut.s,  so  as  to 
make  the  passage  of  it  extremely  difficult  for  either  horse  or  foot, 
and  impracticable  for  guna 

Upon  the  19th  of  November,  Wellington  made  dispositions  to 
attack  this  formidable  post,  still  impressed  with  the  hope  that  he 
should  find  only  a  rear-guard  to  resist  him.  No  sooner  were  the 
troojis  fonned,  and  in  motion,  and  the  skirmishers  engaged,  than 
the  military  eye  of  Wellington,  never  to  be  long  deceived,  pene- 
trated, with  a  quick  and  disappointed  glance,  the  true  nature  of 
the  resistance  to  be  oflfered,  and  tlie  powerful  means  by  which 
the  success  of  that  resistance  was  secured.  His  glass  showed 
him  long  lines  of  abatis,  and  of  outworks  and  intrcnchments, 
clearly  defined  by  the  color  of  the  earth  newly  turned  up ;  and, 
not  doubting  any  longer  the  real  intentions  of  his  opponent,  after 
a  long  and  steaily  demonstration,  which  gave  him  full  leisure 
f()r  the  most  patient  and  attentive  reconnoissance,  he  withdrew 
the  troops.  Ilia  own  great  lesson  was  not  lost  upon  his  adver- 
sary. A  defensible  jX)sition  was  selected  with  consunmiate  judg- 
ment, and  strengthened  by  art, — a  measure,  by  which  alone 
Massena  could  have  maintained  himself  in  the  country  a  fortp 
niglit  longer,  and  by  tlje  adoption  of  which  he  was  enabled  to 
support  tlio  war,  and  prolong  the  struggle  throughout  the  winter 
months.  During  this  periotl  he  well  knew  that,  owing  to  the 
heavy  rains  and  the  dimcult  roads,  Wellington  could  not  make 
any  march  to  turn  the  jxieition  of  Santarem ;  and  it  was  in  front, 
as  has  been  already  shown,  unassailable. 

The  allied  trooiw  were  now  placed  in  cantonments  at  Cartaxo 
(where  the  head-quarters  were  established),  at  Alcoentrc,  Alem- 


188  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

quer,  and  Villa  Franca.  Thus  the  routes  leading  upon  the  lines 
were  held  secure,  while  the  position  of  Torres  Vedras  itself  was 
occupied  in  strength,  and  effectually  protected  from  any  sudden 
attack  by  the  road,  which  passes  to  the  north  of  the  Monte  Junta. 
The  corps  of  general  Hill  was  so  disposed  upf)n  the  left  bank  of 
the  Tagus,  that  the  enemy  could  not  effect  a  passage  into  the 
Alemtejo,  without  a  formidable  opposition,  while  its  communica- 
tions with  the  ferry  opposite  Alhandra  were  (by  floating  bridges 
over  all  the  rivers)  so  well  established,  that  a  retreat  to  its  old 
position  in  the  lines  was  always  open. 

The  anchorage  of  Lisbon  is  commanded  on  the  southern  side 
from  the  heights  of  Almada,  from  whence,  indeed,  the  city  itself 
is  exposed  to  bombardment.  Tiiis  promontory  was,  in  conse- 
quence, retrenched  with  all  possible  care,  lest  the  enemy,  sup- 
ported by  the  co-operation  of  their  army  of  the  south,  should  pour 
into  the  Alemtejo,  and  extend  their  operations  to  that  quarter. 

The  armies  on  both  sides  remained  now,  for  a  season,  quiet 
The  head-quarters  of  marshal  Massena  were  at  Torres  Novas. 
He  had  a  strong  post  at  Punhete  in  his  rear,  with  a  bridge  across 
the  Zezere.  He  had  collected  a  number  of  large  boats  there 
and  at  Barquina,  with  a  view  to  resuming  the  ofl^ensive  when  re- 
inforced ; — and,  upon  his  right  and  to  his  rear,  he  foraged  far 
and  successfully  with  his  numerous  cavalry,  supported  by  mova- 
ble colunms  detached  upon  that  service.  Unhappily,  in  the 
towns  to  the  eastward  of  Santarem  the  population  had  disre- 
garded the  proclamations  which  commanded  them  to  leave  their 
homes :  being  removed  from  the  scene  of  immediate  danger,  they 
had  fancied  themselves  safe ;  and  so  few  had  obeyed  the  injunc- 
tion of  the  government,  that  when  the  French  horsemen  came 
among  them,  they  lud  neither  the  means  nor  the  time  to  remove 
any  thing.  Reaped  com  was  found  in  large  quantities;  and 
maize  upon  the  stalk,  very  little  injured  by  the  weather,  covered 
many  valleys  and  plains  in  tlie  district  now  occupied  or  visited 
by  the  French  columns. 

The  situation  of  the  army  of  Portugal  had  been  early  repre- 
sented at  Paris ;  and  general  Foy,  who  was  sent  by  Massena  to 
make  his  statement,  conveyed  at  the  same  time  orders  to  general 
Gardanne,  commanding  on  the  Agueda,  to  march  forward  with 
a  convoy  of  stores  and  ammunition  for  his  supply.  Gardanne, 
with  an  escort  of  5000  men,  brought  his  convoy  within  four 
leagues  of  the  French  posts  on  the  Zezere,  when,  meeting  with 
some  little  opposition  from  a  party  of  the  ordenanca  under  colonel 
Grant,  and  alarmed  by  a  false  report  that  the  French  had  retired 
from  the  Zezere,  and  that  British  troops  were  already  in  Abran- 
tes,  he  hurried  back  with  undue  precipitation.  As  a  consequence 
of  this  blind  haste,  he  lost  his  baggage,  the  greater  part  of  his 
convoy,  and  many  hundred  men,  being  harassed  by  the  anned 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  189 

peasantry  till  he  reached  the  frontier.  General  Drouet,  who 
commanded  the  9th  corps  of  the  French  army  upon  the  Coa,  now 
decided  upon  advancing  with  10,0()0  men  to  open  the  communi- 
cations with  Massena ;  and  reaching  Leyria  without  encounter- 
ing any  check,  he  took  post  upon  the  right  flank  of  the  grand 
army.  Upon  his  advance  he  had  left  the  division  of  Claparede 
at  Guarda,  to  secure  the  line  of  retreat  to  the  frontier,  from  the 
numerous  and  active  bodies  of  militia  which  were  spread  over 
Berra.  One  body  of  these  troops,  consisting  of  several  regiment.^*, 
ventured  upon  a  trial  of  their  arms  witli  the  soldiers  of  Clapa- 
rede at  Tramosa;  but  sustained  a  severe  defeat,  and  was  driven 
across  the  Douro.  The  confidence  of  these  irregulars  was  thus 
60  greatly  shaken,  tliat  tliey  did  not  again  render  any  service  to 
be  comjKired  with  tlieir  earlier  efibrts.  The  admirable  ofRcers 
by  whose  judgment  and  spirit  of  enterprise  so  much  had  been 
hitlierto  effected,  and  so  well,  Bacellar,  Wilson,  Trant,  and  Mil- 
ler, who  died  soon  after  this  period,  still,  however,  made  head 
against  the  invaders,  and  were  a  trouble  to  them,  although  after 
tlie  defeat  of  Silveira  at  Trancosa,  little  was  or  could  be  hazarded 
in  the  open  field. 

The  aspect  of  affairs  in  Portugal  at  the  close  of  the  year  1810, 
bright  as  in  truth  it  was,  compared  to  the  gloomy  promise  of  the 
summer  when  Almeida  fell,  and  the  invading  army  moved  on- 
wards in  a  strength  that  seemed  to  defy  resistance,  was  far  other 
than  it  would  have  been,  had  lord  Wellington  been  duly  sup- 
ported. The  French  had  not  driven  the  lien  cf  England  from 
the  soil  of  Portugal ;  they  had  failed  in  tlieir  beast.  The  eagles 
of  Napoleon  were  not  glittermg  upon  the  towers  of  Lisbon. 
They  had  been  foiled  in  their  great  objects ;  they  had  sustained 
heavy  losses  in  battle,  by  privation,  and  by  sickness ;  but  these 
losses  had  been  already  supplied  by  reintbrcement.e,  and  they 
still  held  ground  in  the  very  heart  of  the  country.  The  English 
general  had  received  but  a  small  accession  of  force  from  home 
to  an  army  still  inadequate  to  any  offensive  undertaking.  By 
the  jealousy  and  the  intrigues  of  the  local  government  in  Portu- 
gal, his  efforts  to  call  forth  tlie  resources  of  the  state,  and  to  in- 
nise  a  due  activity  into  all  departments  of  tlie  executive,  were 
continually  thwarted.  But  the  man  Wellington  stood  there 
strong  and  alone ; — looking  ever  to  the  posible  ; — doing  always 
the  utmost  that  could  be  done ;  and  then  calm  as  to  the  event 

While  in  the  preceding  spring  he  lay  upon  the  frontier,  and 
the  forces  of  Massena  were  gathering  in  his  front,  he  had  writ- 
ten to  a  friend  in  England: — "I  suppose  the  people  at  homo 
think  me  in  a  scrape.     I  do  not  think' so  myself;  but  if  I  am,  I'll 

fet  out  of  it."     So  now,  in  like  spirit,  and  witli  like  indifference, 
e  read  of  all  the  early  exultationtiftnd  the  absurd  hopes,  of  the 
good  people  in  England,  when  they  heard  of  MaBsena'a  retro- 


190  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP  WELLINGTON. 

grade  movement ;  and  with  unerring  sagacity  he  predicted  the 
censures  that  would  follow  when  they  found  the  work  of  war  at 
a  stand  ; — no  movements  in  either  host ;  no  lists  of  killed  and 
wounded ;  and  no  trophies  of  victory.  The  raised  expectations 
of  the  people  produced  one  great  fruit — a  reinforcement  Early 
in  January  a  body  of  troops,  for  which  Wellington  had  vainly 
solicited  the  timid  and  distrustful  ministry  before,  was  disem- 
barked at  Lisbon. 

Upon  the  19th,  a  very  few  days  after  they  landed,  the  enemy 
drove  in  the  British  outposts  from  Rio  Mayor,  and  made  a  strong 
reconnoissance.  On  this  occasion  Junot,  who  commanded  the 
French,  received  a  severe  wound. 

No  attack  followed ;  and  the  two  armies  remained,  as  before, 
quiet,  and  for  the  most  part  under  cover :  both  generals  were 
thoroughly  informed  of  each  other's  situation ;  and  neither  was 
able  to  venture  upon  the  offensive. 

The  opposition  in  England,  whom  the  battle  of  Busaco,  the 
capture  of  the  French  hospitals  at  Coimbra,  and  the  calm  main- 
taining of  the  lines,  had,  for  a  while,  disconcerted,  again  raised 
their  inauspicious  voices,  and  predicted  the  sure  though  delayed 
discomfiture  of  the  allies.  "  The  campaign,"  they  said,  "  would 
be  renewed  in  February,  with  such  an  accumulation  of  force  on 
the  part  of  the  enemy,  as  must  make  the  protection  even  of 
Lisbon  hopeless,  much  less  the  deliverance  of  the  Peninsula." 

"  It  would  be  just  as  rational  for  the  French  to  strive  to  cope 
with  us  by  sea,  as  for  us  to  enter  the  lists  with  them  by  land." 
Thus  was  the  English  leader  encouraged ;  thus  were  his  troops 
heartened  to  their  high  duties.  Had  the  counsels  of  the  oppo- 
sition been  followed,  Spain  and  Portugal  would  have  become 
tributary  provinces  of  the  gigantic  empire  of  Napoleon. 


END  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


MILITARY   MEMOIRS 


FIELD  MARSHAL 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON, 


CAPTAIN    MOYLE    SHERER 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 

VOL.  n. 


ROBERT  DESILVER,  110,  WALNUT  STREET. 
1886. 


CONTE 


I 


CHAP.  I. 


Proceedings  at  Cadiz.— The  Spanish  Government  accepts  the  Aid  of 
British  Troops.— State  of  the  War  in  the  Provinces.— The  Assembly 
of  the  Cortez.— Their  Acts.— Progress  of  the  French  Arms.- Death 
of  Romana Page  7 

CHAP.  II. 

Masaena  breaks  up  from  Santarem  and  retires  from  Portugal. — Lord 
Wellington  pursues  the  French  army  closely,  and  re-establishes  his 
Head<^uarter8  upon  the  Frontier 15 

CHAP.  III. 

Badajos  and  Campo  Mayor  taken  by  the  French. — Beresford  drives  them 
from  Campo  Mayor. — Moves  to  Elvas. — Passes  the  Guadiana. — Pre- 
pares for  the  Siege  of  Badajos. — Lord  Wellington  visits  this  Corps  of 
the  Army. — Examines  the  Defences  of  Badajos. — Is  suddenly  recalled 
to  Beira. — Affairs  of  Cadiz.— Battle  of  Barrosa.- War  in  Catalonia    24 

CHAP.  IV. 

Massena  reappears  suddenly  in  the  Field. — The  Battle  of  Fuentes  de 
Honor. — The  French  evacuate  Almeida. — Beresford  lays  Siege  to  Ba- 
dajos.— Soult  advances  to  succor  that  Fortress. — ^The  Battle  of  AI- 
buera 33 


CHAP.  V. 

Second  Siege  of  Badnjos. — French  Armies  of  the  North  and  South  unite 
for  its  Relief. — The  Allies  retire  into  Portugal. — Lord  Wellington  offers 
Battle  on  the  Caya. — French  Armies  separate. — Wellington  marches 
to  the  Agueda. — Menaces  Ciudad  Rodrigo. — Marmont  and  Count  Dor- 
■enne  advance  to  relieve  if. — The  Affair  of  El  Bodon. — Fucnte  Gui- 
naldo. — Retreat  of  Marmont. — Affairs  of  Estremadura — Movements 
of  General  Hill. — He  surprises  and  captures  a  French  Brigade  at  Ar- 
royo de  Molinoe 41 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  VI. 

Military  State  of  Spain. — ^The  Guerilla  Sptem. — Progress  of  the  War 
in  Catalonia — In  Andal  usia — In  Valencia 55 

CHAP.  VII. 

The  Sieges  and  Capture  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo  and  of  Badajos 69 

CHAP.  VIII. 
Lord  Wellington  directs  General  Hill  to  destroy  the  Enemy's  Bridge  at 
Almaraz. — General  Hill  takes  Forts  Napoleon  and  Ragusa,  and  bum» 
the  Bridge. — Lord  Wellington  advances  to  Salamanca. — Takes  the 
fortified  Convents  in  that  City. — Manoeuvres  on  the  Douro. — Beats 
Marmont  in  Battle. — Marches  to  Madrid > 83 

CHAP.  IX. 
The  Position  of  the  Allies. — Lord  Wellington  marches  North,  and  be- 
sieges Burgos. — The  French  Armies  of  the  North,  South,  and  Centre, 
combine  their  Movements. — Lord  Wellington  withdraws  the  Allies 
from  Madrid,  breaks  up  ftom  before  Burgos,  and  concentrates  his 
Army  upon  the  Tormes. — Is  followed  by  the  Enemy's  United  Force. — 
Retires  into  Portugal.  Takes  up  WmCer  Cantonments. — Visits  Cadiz 
and  Lisbon. — Returns  to  the  Army 94 

CHAP.  X. 

Aspect  of  Affkirs  in  tlie  Spring  of  1813. — Lord  Wellington  opens  the 
Campaign  in  May. — Advances. — Turns  the  Line  of  the  Douro. — ^Turns 
the  Line  of  the  Ebro. — Brings  the  Enemy  to  Battle  at  Vittoria. — De- 
feats them. — Drives  them  out  of  Spain. — Encamps  upon  the  Py- 
renees    107 

CHAP.  XI. 

Marshal  Soult  is  sent  suddenly  from  Germany  to  take  Command  of  the 
French  Army  on  the  Frontier,  and  to  attack  the  Allies. — Lord  Wel- 
lington blockades  Pampeluna  closely,  and  lays  siege  to  St.  Sebastian. 
— The  advance  of  the  French  Army. — ^The  Battles  of  the  Pyrenees. — 
The  French  are  again  driven  into  France 117 

CHAP.  XII. 
The  Operations  against  St  Sebastian  renewed. — ^The  City  taken  by 
Storm. — Soult's  last  Effort  for  its  ReUef. — Admirable  Conduct  of  the 
Spanish  Troops  at  San  Marcial. — Notice  of  the  Movements  on  the 
Eastern  Coast  of  Spain  during  the  Spring  and  Summer  of  1813. — Lord 
Wellington  crosses  the  Bidassoa,  and  advances  the  Position  of  his  Left 
Wing. — The  Surrender  of  Pampeluna 130 


CONTEOTB.  ▼ 

CHAP.  xm. 

Lord  Wellington  invades  France. — Drives  Soult  from  his  first  Line  of 
Defence. — Takes  a  Position  in  front  of  St.  Jean  de  Luz. — And  places 
his  Army  in  Cantonments. — Takes  the  Field  in  the  middle  of  Decem- 
ber, to  extend  his  own  Position,  and  to  circumscribe  that  of  Marshal 
Soult. — Soult's  powerful  Attacks  on  the  Left  and  Right  of  the  Allies 
— Defeated  in  both. — Brilliant  Victory  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill  on  the  13ih 
of  December. — Lord  Wellington  remains  in  Cantonments  till  Febru- 
ary.— Passage  of  the  Adour 141 

CHAP.  XIV. 

The  Battle  of  Orthez.— The  Retreat  of  the  French.— The  Combat  of 
Aire. — Lord  Wellington  marches  his  Left  Wing  upon  Bordeaux. — The 
Reception  of  the  Duke  of  Angouleme  in  that  City. — State  of  Affairs 
in  France. — The  Movements  of  Soult. — Lord  Wellington's  Manoeu- 
vres.— ^The  Battle  of  Toulouse. — Soult  defeated. — The  Sortie  from 
Bayonne. — The  Abdication  of  Napoleon. — Ferdinand's  Return  to 
Spain. — The  Restoration  of  the  Bourbons  in  France 156 

CHAP.  XV. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington  visits  Paris  and  Madrid. — Takes  leave  of  the 
Array,  and  returns  to  England. — His  Reception. — Repairs  again  to 
Paris  as  Ambassador. — Proceeds  to  the  Congress  of  Vienna  as  Pleni- 
potentiary.— The  State  of  France. — The  Return  of  Bonaparte. — The 
Renewal  of  HostiUties. — The  Campaign  in  Flanders. — The  Victory  of 
Waterloo 174 


A2 


MILITARY  MEMOIRS 

or 

THE  DUKE  OF  AVELLINGTON. 


CHAP.  I. 

PROCEEDINGS  AT  CADIZ. THE  SPANISH  GOVERNMENT  ACCEPTS  THE  AID  0» 

BRITISH  TROOPS. STATE  OF  THE  WAR  IN  THE  PROVINCES. THE  AS- 
SEMBLY OF  THE  CORTEZ. — THEIR  ACTS. — PROGRESS  OF  THE  FRENCH 
ARMS, — DEATH  OF  ROMANA. 

Cadiz,  tlie  last  asylum  of  the  Spanish  government,  was  saved 
from  the  sword  of  the  intruder  by  the  wise  and  prompt  decision 
of  the  duke  of  Albuquerque. 

Marshal  Victor  followed  the  Spanish  general  by  rapid  marches, 
and  appeared  before  Cadiz  upon  the  5th  of  February.  He  waa 
eix-and-thirty  hours  too  late.  The  soldiers  of  Albuquerque  were 
already  upon  the  walls  of  Cadiz,  and  were  manning  the  defensive 
works  upon  the  Isla  de  Leon,  by  which  that  important  fortress 
and  the  noble  harbor  are  covered. 

The  troops  of  Albuquerque  were  in  a  miserable  condition. 
The  citizens  were  in  confusion  and  alarm ;  the  streets  were 
crowded  with  fugitives;  and  the  defences  both  of  Cadiz  and  the 
Isla  de  Leon  had  been  indolently  neglected.  Had  the  exact 
state  of  things  been  known  to  victor,  he  would  probably  have 
attempted  to  possess  himself  of  the  Isla  de  I^eon  by  a  sudden  as- 
sault; for  the  line  of  defence  waa  so  extended,  and  the  garrison 
so  weak  in  numbers,  and  so  disheartened  by  past  reverses,  that 
such  an  enterprise  might  have  been  crowned  by  success.  But 
the  zeal,  the  energy,  and  the  talent  of  Albuquerque,  to  whom 
the  command  of  the  forces  was  immediately  intrusted,  were  so 
far  blessed  in  tlieir  exertion,  thiit  the  French  marslial,  deceived 
as  to  the  strength  of  his  preparations,  disposed  his  divisbns 
around  the  bay,  and  established  a  regular  blockade. 

His  line  of  contravallation  extended  twenty-five  miles.  His 
three  main  positions  were  Chiclana,  Puerto  Real,  and  Santa 
Maria;  and  these  were  fortified  with  care,  and  connected  by 
intrenched  camps.  Cadiz,  for  so  long  a  period  the  seat  of  a 
government,  which  had  to  deliberate  for  the  interests  of  a  king- 
dom, and  to  rule  wide  provinces,  under  the  sound  of  hostile 
cannon,  it  is  necessary  to  describe. 


8  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

At  the  mouth  of  the  river  Guadalete  there  is  an  insulated 
tract  of  land,  triangular  in  form :  two  sides  of  this  island  are 
washed  by  the  sea,  and  it  is  separated  from  tlie  main  land  by 
the  river  Santi  Petri.  This  is  the  Isla  de  Leon ;  its  left  shore 
is  on  the  open  sea ;  its  right  looks  on  the  harbor ;  and  these  two 
sides  meet  at  a  point,  from  which  a  narrow  tongue  of  land,  five 
miles  in  length,  connects  the  island  with  Cadiz. 

The  Santi  Petri  is  a  natural  cliannel  separating  the  upper 
harbor  of  Cadiz  from  the  open  sea ;  it  traverses  a  marsh  that  is 
crossed  by  many  small  water-courses,  and  varies  in  breadth 
from  one  to  three  miles.  The  Isla  de  Leon  can  only  be  ap- 
proached by  the  bridge  of  Zuazo,  and  by  a  firm  causeway  which 
crosses  the  marsh.  Upon  this  island  is  one  large  town  and  a 
smaller  where  public  buidings  and  barracks  are  erected  for  the 
use  and  service  of  Cadiz,  the  great  arsenal  of  Spain,  and  the 
principal  rendezvous  of  the  Spanish  navy. 

Cadiz  is  built  upon  naked  rocks :  its  highest  point  is  about 
200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea ;  and  it  is  washed  on  all 
sides  by  the  ocean,  with  the  exception  of  one  narrow  isthmus, 
which  connects  it  with  tlie  isla.  It  is  a  beautiful  city,  and  its 
harbor  one  of  the  noblest  in  the  world,  being  a  vast  calm  basin 
from  ten  to  twelve  leagues  in  circumference. 

Here  tlie  seat  of  the  regency,  whicli  had  been  appointed  by 
the  junta  before  it  submitted  to  resign  its  authority,  was  hap- 
pily fixed,  and  here  the  cortez,  which  they  had  convoked,  were 
instructed  to  assemble.  Thus,  while  the  French  were  nominally 
masters  of  Spain,  a  secret  and  sacred  spirit  of  resistance  was 
everywhere  cherished,  by  the  knowledge  tliat  a  government 
still  existed  which  defied  the  intruder. 

The  vast  importance  of  maintaining  Cadiz  reconciled  the 
Spaniards  to  the  admission  of  British  troops.  A  division  of  6000 
men,  including  a  strong  Portuguese  regiment,  soon  arrived,  and 
were  landed  to  assist  in  its  defence.  This  auxiliary  force  was 
commanded  by  Sir  Thomas  Graham.  By  his  indefatigable  ex- 
ertions, the  line  upon  the  Isla  de  Leon,  which,  extending  as  it 
did  near  ten  miles,  had,  in  the  first  instance,  shown  many  weak 
points  to  an  enterprising  enemy,  provided  with  boats  or  rafts  for 
passing  the  Santi  Petri,  soon  presented  a  strong  impregnable 
front. 

Secured  by  all  the  skilful  and  laborious  improvement  of  her 
defences,  and  by  the  increased  strength  of  her  garrison,  the  city 
of  Cadiz  resumed  her  mirth  and  her  music;  and  the  orators  of 
her  deliberative  assemblies  harangued  at  length  and  in  safety. 
A  municipal  junta  had  been  formed  in  the  city,  composed  of 
merchants  elected  by  ballot ;  this  was  intended  to  supply  her 
need  at  the  moment  that  the  central  junta  was  deposed  at  Se- 
ville.   Of  this  municipal  junta,  Albuquerque,  on  his  first  eu- 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  fg 

trance  into  Cadiz,  was  elected  president     But  he  found  it  a 
painful  post,  and  very  heartily  despised  the  incompetent,  and 

iret  ambitious  men,  with  whom  he  was  associated.  Neverthe- 
ess,  the  junta  triumphed  for  a  time,  botli  over  the  heroic  virtue 
of  Albuqueniue  and  the  acknowledged  regency.  The  press 
was  under  their  direction,  and  they  were  supported  by  the  popu- 
lace. Albuquerque  was  sent  ambassador  to  England,  and  died 
in  that  country  of  a  broken  heart  The  regency,  though  feeble, 
had  yet  influence  enou^li  to  arrange  tor  the  quiet  reception  of 
ttie  British  auxiliaries.  Thus,  despite  the  intrigues,  the  venality, 
and  the  tyranny  of  this  junta,  elected  by  the  popular  voice,  and 
upheld  by  the  popular  club,  or  knife,  Cadiz  was  saved. 

One  of  tlie  first  acts  of  the  British  general,  Stewart,  who  ax- 
rived  at  Cadiz  in  the  middle  of  February,  was  to  recover  and 
reoccupy  a  most  important  insulated  outwork,  called  Fort  Matar- 
gorda;  which,  though  it  seriously  impeded  tlie  works  of  the 
blockading  force,  had  been  dismantled  and  abandoned  by  the 
Spaniards.  A  detachment  of  150  men,  composed  of  soldiers, 
seamen,  and  gunners  of  the  artillery,  under  the  command  of 
captain  M'Lean  of  the  94th,  was  sent  across  to  this  fort,  in  thick 
rough  weather,  and  effected  a  secure  lodgement  The  cannon 
of  the  enemy  played  heavily  upon  them  the  whole  of  the  next 
day,  but  they  stood  firm ;  and  they  held  this  little  fort  for  fifly- 
five  days,  under  the  fire  of  the  French,  which  was  frequently 
directed  against  them.  M'Lean  could  only  bring  seven  guns  to 
bear  upon  the  enemy ;  but  he  was  supported  upon  the  flanks  of 
his  small  fort  by  a  Spanish  man-of-war,  and  a  flotilla  of  gunboats. 
At  dawn  upon  the  21st  of  April,  the  French  opened  upon  this 
work,  from  batteries  which  mounted  forty-eight  guns  and  mor- 
tars of  the  largest  size.  Red-hot  shot  were  tired  ujwn  the  ship 
and  the  boats,  and  drove  tliem  away.  The  parapet  of  tlie  fort 
was  soon  destroyed  by  the  weight  and  vigor  of  the  fire ;  half 
the  little  garrison  fell ;  and,  afler  a  stout  and  resolute  defence, 
boats  were  sent  off  to  withdraw  tlie  survivors,  and  Matagorda 
was  evacuated. 

Notwithstanding  the  indolence  and  apatliy  of  tlie  citizens  of 
Cadiz,  and  all  the  frivolous  contentions  between  the  local  junta 
and  tlie  regency,  by  which  the  public  service  was  hourly  im- 

Eded,  Sir  Thomas  Graham,  looking  steadily  upon  his  duty,  la- 
red  incessantly  to  improve  tlie  defences  of  Cadiz.  Ma[rshal 
Soult  now  limited  his  operations  to  fortifying  and  securing  the 
French  cantonments,  that  fewer  trooj)8  might  suffice  for  the 
blockade.  There  was  only  one  of  his  batteries,  which,  from 
huge  mortars,  did  occasionally,  but  at  long  and  very  uncertain 
ranges,  cast  a  few  shells  into  the  town.  During  the  spring  he 
cleared  and  subjected  the  provinces  of  Murcia  and  CJranada  by 
his  movable  columns,  establishing  the  temporary  reign  of  the 


10  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

intruder  by  the  most  unwarrantable  edicts,  and  by  the  most  se- 
vere and  savage  executions.  The  Spaniard  was  told  in  these 
edicts,  that  if  he  was  not  a  regular  soldier  he  might  not  raise 
his  arm  tc  defend  his  dwelling  or  his  family.  Death  and  the 
exposure  of  his  body  upon  the  highway  were  the  penalties  in- 
curred by  every  patriot  taken  in  arms.  But  from  the  blood  of 
these  unhappy  victims  there  sprung  up  a  sudden  growth  of  armed 
men ;  and  the  guerrilla  bands,  which  rapidly  increased  through- 
out the  land,  dealt  out  upon  the  enemy  a  full  measure  of  re- 
venge. 

It  is  fair  to  record,  that  all  the  cruel  and  violent  proceedings 
by  which  the  French  sought  to  establish  the  throne  of  Joseph 
Buonaparte  did  not  originate  with  him.  He  was  an  indolent, 
self-indulgent,  easy  man,  not  formed  for  public  life ;  disliking  his 
position,  but  not  at  liberty  to  resign  it.  Perhaps  no  one  felt  the 
slavery  of  Napoleon's  service  more  bitterly  than  this  king  and 
brother. 

In  May  the  blockading  force  before  Cadiz  received  a  rein- 
forcement of  near  2000  men,  in  a  singular  manner.  A  body  of 
French  soldiers,  confined  on  board  prison-ships  in  the  harbor, 
took  advantage  of  a  heavy  gale,  which  drove  upon  the  French 
side  of  the  bay,  cut  the  cables,  and,  under  a  fire  from  the 
Spanish  batteries  and  the  fleet,  let  the  hulks  drift  to  shore. 
These  prisoners  had  been  taken,  with  Dupont,  at  Baylen 

It  was  every  day  more  apparent  that  nothing  could  be  at- 
tempted against  Cadiz ;  but  in  other  quarters  the  French  arms 
had  better  success.  Although  nothing  could  exceed  the  zeal 
and  activity  of  the  Spanish  general,  O'Donnel,  in  Catalonia; 
although  many  of  his  enterprises  were  rewarded  by  good  for- 
tune; and  all  his  combats  were  fought  with  the  most  ardent 
valor,  especially  that  of  Vich,  in  February,  1810,  yet  fortress 
after  fortress  fell. 

The  garrison  of  Hostalrich,  after  patiently  sustaining  ten 
weeks'  bombardment  and  four  months'  blockade,  and  consuming 
their  last  ration  of  food,  made  a  bold  sally  and  a  resolute  effort 
to  break  a  way  through  the  French  force.  Of  1400  many  were 
slain;  Julian  Estrada,  the  brave  governor,  was  wounded  and 
taken,  together  with  300  men;  but  the  larger  number  made 
good  their  attempt  and  reached  Vich.  The  next  day  the  islands 
of  Las  Medas,  a  maritime  port  of  great  importance,  were  sur- 
prised and  captured  by  the  French. 

In  Arragon,  Suchet  besieged  Lerida,  breached  the  walls  by 
five  days'  heavy  fire,  and  carried  it  by  storm  on  the  sixth  day 
after  opening  his  batteries.  The  carnage  in  the  streets  was 
very  great ;  little  quarter  was  given ;  and  the  French  com- 
mander next  proceeded  against  Mequinenza,  a  place  of  some 
consequence  at  the  junction  of  the  Segre  with  the  Ebro.    This 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  11 

fort,  situate  on  a  lofty  rock,  was  ignobly  surrendered  by  the 
governor  after  a  very  faint  show  of  resistance  for  five  short  days. 
These  successes,  in  the  months  of  May  and  June,  1810,  com- 
pensated to  Suchet  for  his  grievous  failure  in  March  at  Valencia, 
against  which  place  he  had  unadvisedly  marched  in  the  ill- 
founded  presumption  tliat  he  might  take  it  by  a  coup-de-main. 
But  here  the  very  Sjmniards  who  had  fled  from  the  field  of  Bel- 
chite  stood  up  again  manfully  under  Ventura  Cora ;  and  though 
the  marshal  penetrated  to  the  gates  of  Valencia,  and  encaunped 
in  that  celebrated  and  fertile  spot  called  the  Huerta,  or  garden 
of  Valencia,  he  was  soon  compelled  to  retire  without  efiecting 
his  object.  He  had  reckoned  upon  treason  or  panic,  but  neither 
served  him :  for  the  traitors  were  discovered  ;  the  populace  rose 
in  arms ;  neither  intrigue  nor  menace  availed  to  move  them ; 
he  was  too  weak  to  force  their  intrenchments,  and  returned  to 
the  Ebro. 

This  event  diffused  great  joy,  and  awakened  a  hopeful 
spirit  in  all  the  eastern  provinces;  but  Suchet  soon  repaired 
lus  ill  fortune,  as  has  been  related  above,  by  the  conquest  of 
Arragon. 

During  the  year  1810,  the  guerrillas  became  very  numerous : 
and  the  convoys  and  detachments  of  the  enemy  were  continu- 
ally assaulted  on  their  march.  It  is  true  that  no  military  move- 
ment of  any  important  bearing  upon  the  issue  of  a  Qampajfm 
was  effectually  provontod  hy  these  lianas ;  but  m  mamtammg 
their  communications,  and  procuring  their  supplies,  the  difficul- 
ties of  the  French  were  largely  increased.  Not  a  letter  could 
be  sent  even  a  small  distance  without  a  strong  escort  of  dra- 
goons; and  the  courier  to  France  was  accompanied  through 
certain  districts  on  the  route  by  two  or  three  battalions  of  in- 
fantry. 

Such  was  the  state  of  Spain  when  her  national  Cortez  were 
assembled.  The  rule  by  which  the  members  were  chosen  was 
formed  for  the  occasion  by  the  supreme  junta. 

All  persons  of  twenty-five  years  of  age,  whose  incomes  were 
not  derived  from  place  or  pension  under  the  government,  who 
were  not  debtors  to  the  state,  and  who  were  of  sound  body  and 
good  moral  repute,  were  eligible  to  a  seat  in  this  fiimous  assem- 
bly. All  cities  which  had  sent  members  to  the  last  cortez  were 
now  to  elect  the  same  number.  Every  provincial  junta  return- 
ed one  deputy,  and  the  provinces  were  represented  in  the  pro- 
portion of  one  member  for  every  50,000  inhabitants.  Twenty- 
six  members  chosen  from  natives  of  Spanish  America,  resident 
in  tlie  mother-country,  reprcsenttMl  the  colonics. 

As  of  necessity  in  some  of  tlie  provinces  of  old  Spain  now 
strongly  occupied  by  the  French,  the  elections  could  not  have 
free  course,  and  as  tlie  representatives  sent  from  otliers  were 


12  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

many  of  them  taken  by  the  enemy  on  their  way  to  Cadiz,  sixty- 
eight  supplementary  deputies  were  chosen  in  Cadiz,  and  in 
other  districts,  with  which  tlie  communications  were  yet  se- 
cure ;  and  from  this  list  all  vacancies  were  filled. 

It  had  been  the  intention  of  the  supreme  junta  to  have  insti- 
tuted a  higher  chamber  of  the  grandees  and  dignitaries  of  the 
church  as  a  wholesome  check  upon  the  cortez,  but  this  design 
was  abandoned  ;  liowever,  nobles  and  secular  priests  were  ad- 
mitted as  candidates  for  the  great  national  assembly. 

The  eyes  of  Spain,  of  England,  and  of  all  Europe,  were  fixed 
upon  the  meeting  of  this  great  council.  It  took  place  on  the 
24th  of  September,  1810,  with  the  solemn  and  customary  forms. 

Their  first  act  was  a  decree,  by  which  the  style  and  title  of 
majesty  was  conferred  upon  their  own  body,  and  the  inferior  title 
of  highness  was  given  to  the  executive.  Moreover,  they  de- 
creed that  no  member  of  the  cortez  should  accept  of  any  pen- 
sion, honor,  reward,  or  favor  from  the  executive. 

The  liberal  members  of  this  assembly,  though  not  at  first  the 
most  numerous  division,  were  by  far  the  most  wordy  and  vehe- 
ment debaters.  The  freedom  of  the  press  in  all  matters  not  re- 
ligious WELs  very  soon  proclaimed ;  a  great  blessing  to  any  coun- 
try, but  not  exactly  their  first  great  want  at  that  moment. 

Spain  was  full  of  armed  enemies,  while  tJie  constitutional  hall 
of  the  cortez  rung  with  tlie  loud  acclamations,  with  which  ab- 
stract principles  oi  iioeny  weic  icoolvod,  and  sppnnlative  theo- 
ries for  enlightened  government  were  discussed  and  lauded. 

Meanwhile,  amid  the  pauses  of  their  stormy  eloquence,  might 
be  heard  the  boom  of  some  solitary  gun  from  the  lines  of  con- 
travallation,  occupied  by  the  French ;  and  many  an  elderly 
Frenchman  in  those  lines  had  heard  better  speeches  and  fairer 
theories  in  Paris,  twenty  years  before,  and  had  survived  the 
hopes  and  the  rapture  with  which  he  listened  to  them. 

About  this  time  the  duke  of  Orleans,  then  an  exile  at  Paler- 
mo, who  had  previously  offered  his  services  to  the  central  junta, 
presented  himself  in  Spain  on  the  invitation  of  the  regency. 
He  first  landed  at  Tarragona,  and  thence  sailed  round  to  Cadiz, 
where  he  was  received  with  great  honor,  and  invited  to  a  high 
command  in  the  northern  provinces  by  the  regency.  This  ap- 
pointment the  cortez  would  not  sanction,  nor  does  any  blame 
attach  to  them  for  their  refusal. 

However,  their  jealousy  of  the  executive  soon  evinced  itself 
by  dissolving  the  regency  and  appointing  another.  Of  this, 
Blake,  the  general,  was  president,  and  Pedro  Agar,  a  naval 
commander,  and  Gabriel  Cisgar,  the  governor  of  Carthagena, 
were  members.  Blake  and  Cisgar  being  absent,  the  cortez  ap- 
pointed two  substitutes  provisionally.  The  marquis  del  Palacio, 
one  of  these  .substitutes,  being  desirous,  out  of  a  conscientious 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  13 

reganl  to  the  oath  of  his  allegiance  to  Ferdinand,  to  qualify  that 
which  he  was  now  called  upon  to  take  to  the  cortez,  was  imme- 
diately displaced  and  persecuted,  and  held  up  as  an  object  for 
the  popular  suspicion  and  hatred. 

Though  the  constitution  had  been  most  carefully  worded  in  a 
republican  spirit,  the  acts  of  the  cortez  were  soon  as  despotic 
and  capricious  as  those  of  the  various  provisional  governments 
whicli  liad  preceded  them.  It  is  true  that,  for  a  season,  a  new 
impulse  was  given  to  the  nation,  and  "  Long  live  the  cortez  !" 
"  Long  live  tiie  new  constitution  !"  was  tor  a  time  shouted  by 
the  people.  But  the  popularity  of  these  new  senators  soon  de- 
clined. 

The  common  people  in  Spain  have  strong  prejudices  in  favor 
of  old  institutions  and  ancient  customs.  They  rank  themselves 
among  the  families  of  the  earth  as  one  of  old  renown  and  lofty 
fame ;  therefore,  as  soon  as  tlie  work  of  innovation  began,  when 
they  saw  old  establishments  suppressed,  old  forms  violated,  and 
the  clergy  openly  assailed,  they  soon  became  surly  and  discon- 
tented. 

Moreover,  this  vain  assembly,  while  busied  with  popular  ha- 
rangues and  legislative  enactments,  neglected  tlie  weightier 
matters  of  organizing  levies  throughout  the  kingdom,  and  di- 
recting all  the  energies  of  the  people  to  the  expulsion  of  their 
enemies. 

Most  embarrassing  propositions  were  entertained  by  them. 
They  acknowledged,  by  a  majority,  the  hereditary  claim  of 
Carlotta,  princess  of  Brazil,  to  the  Spanish  succession,  and  to 
the  immediate  possession  of  supreme  control  over  tlie  country  ; 
and,  if  lord  Wellington  had  not  Interfered,  she  would  have  been 
proclaimed  regent. 

The  affairs  of  the  Spanish  colonies  were  administered,  at  this 
important  period,  with  so  little  of  wisdom,  good  faith,  and  com- 
mon decency,  by  tlie  government  of  old  Spain,  tliat  the  Ameri- 
can provinces — not  sorry,  perhaps,  to  find  cause  and  opportunity 
— threw  off  the  yoke  of  their  oppressors,  and  openly  defended 
their  rights  in  arms. 

Such  was  the  state,  and  such  were  the  proceetlings,  of  a  gov- 
ernment, whose  debates  were  carried  on  in  a  city  blockaded  by 
the  enemy. 

The  only  cxpetlition  ventured  against  the  French  at  this  time 
from  the  neighborhood  of  Cadiz  was  a  small  one,  composed  of 
Bntisii  and  Spanish  troops,  directed  against  the  castle  of  Fran- 
girola,  near  Malaga.  The  small  force  employe*!  consisted  of  a 
British  battalion,  a  detachment  of  foreign  deserters,  and  one 
Spanish  regiment,  under  the  command  of  L(jrd  Bkyney.  These 
troops  landed  near  Frangirola,  but  for  want  of  heavy  metal,  they 
made  no  impression  on  the  place ;  Sebastiani.  commandimr  in 

Vol.  II.  B 


14  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

Malaga,  marched  against  them ;  and  an  affair  took  place,  which 
was  so  unfortunately  conducted,  that  Lord  Blayney  and  200 
men,  with  their  officers,  were  taken  prisoners;  several  were 
killed,  and  the  remainder  were  compelled  to  retire  to  their  ships. 

We  turn  for  a  moment  to  consider  the  operations  of  that  corps 
of  the  enemy  in  Spanish  Estremadura,  which,  while  the  allied 
army  was  fully  engaged  in  the  defence  of  Lisbon,  succeeded  in 
wresting  from  the  feeble  arms  of  the  Spaniards  a  very  important 
conquest. 

Towards  the  end  of  December,  Soult,  assembling  a  force  of 
13,000  men  at  Seville,  advanced  into  Estremadura,  compelling 
the  Spanish  divisions  under  Ballasteros  and  Mendizabal  to  retire 
rapidly  before  them.  The  French  presented  themselves  before 
the  gates  of  Oliven^a  on  the  11th  of  January.  Mendizabal  had 
left  in  this  place  seven  battalions,  and  a  brigade  of  field-artillery ; 
with  what  object  it  is  not  easy  to  comprehend,  the  fortress  being 
weak  in  all  its  defences,  and  without  any  stores.  It  surrendered 
to  general  Girard  on  the  22d  of  January,  the  Spanish  soldiers 
being  without  food.  Soult  instantly  made  Oliven^a  a  place  of 
arms,  to  facilitate  his  movements  for  the  reduction  of  Badajos, 
which  fortress  was  invested  by  the  corps  of  marshal  Mortier  on 
the  26th. 

Upon  the  23d  of  this  month,  the  marquez  de  la  Romana,  who 
commanded  the  Spanish  forces  acting  with  the  army  of  Wel- 
lington, died  at  Cartaxo,  the  British  head-quarters.  These  troops 
lord  Wellington  had  already  detached  to  support  Mendizabal ; 
giving  minute  instructions  as  to  the  very  position  they  should 
occupy — a  post  so  happily  chosen  that,  as  long  as  it  was  main- 
tained with  a  prudent  patience,  it  proved  a  constant  source  of 
anxiety  to  the  besiegers,  and  of  confidence  to  the  besieged.  It 
lies  north  of  Badajos ;  the  river  Gevora  protecting  it  in  front, 
and  fort  St.  Christoval  sheltering  the  right.  From  this  strong 
and  secure  position,  which  kept  open  the  communications  with 
the  town,  and  covered  the  introduction  of  its  supplies,  Mendizar 
bal  allowed  himself  to  be  moved  by  the  annoyance  which  a  few 
shells,  thrown  from  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  caused  in  his 
encampment.  The  night  after  the  Spanish  general  changed  his 
ground,  Mortier  crossed  the  Gnadiana  by  a  flying  bridge  above 
the  town;  and  a  column  of  6000  men  fording  the  Gevora  at 
daylight,  the  dispositions  to  attack  the  Spanish  army  were  com- 
pleted. The  morning  was  thick  and  foggy  ;  but,  when  the  mist 
cleared  up,  the  Spaniards  beheld  their  force  exposed  on  every 
side  to  assault ;  while  a  Frencii  brigade  was  already  drawn  up 
between  their  ground  and  fort  Christoval.  Without  support, 
without  formation,  without  one  directing  mind,  or  one  governing 
voice,  the  Spaniards,  offering  many  of  them,  individually,  a  very 
gallant  resistance,  were  soon  and  completely  beaten.     Three 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  15 

thousand  poured  over  the  bridge  into  Badajos.  Their  cavalry 
fled ;  and  the  Portuguese  horse,  under  colonel  Madden,  despite 
aU  his  efforts  to  rally  them,  followed.  About  50()  were  led  off 
in  some  order  by  don  Carlos  de  Espana  to  Elvas ;  the  rest  were 
taken  or  slaughtered.  Thus,  in  a  few  hours,  was  a  Spanish 
army  of  more  than  10,000  men  destroyed.  Mendizabal  escaped- 
One  pang  was  spared  to  the  noble  and  unfortunate  Romana, 
TJiat  upright  man  was  already  in  his  grave,  before  this  sliameful 
disaster  on  the  Gcvora  occurred.  "  In  him,"  said  the  French 
officers,  when  they  learned  his  death, — "  in  him  t!ie  Spaniards 
have  lost  the  only  general  in  their  service  wortliy  of  his  rank." 
— "  In  him,"  said  lord  Wellington,  in  a  dispatch  reporting  upon 
his  decease, — "  in  him  the  Spanish  army  have  lost  their  bright- 
est ornament — his  country  its  most  upright  patriot — and  the 
world  the  most  strenuous  and  zealous  defender  of  the  cause  in 
which  we  are  engaged ;  and  I  shall  always  acknowledge  with 
gratitude  the  assistance  I  have  received  from  him  as  well  by  his 
operations  as  by  his  counsel,  since  he  had  been  joined  with  this 
army." 


CHAP.  XL 

UASSENA  BREAKS  UP  FROM  SANTAREM  AND  RETIRES  FROM  PORTUQAL. — 
LORD  WELLINOTO.N  PURSUES  THE  FRENCH  ARMY  CLOSELY,  AND  RE-ES- 
TABLISHES HIB  HEAD-QUARTERS  UPON  THE  FRONTIER. 

It  has  been  already  stated,  that  the  corps  of  general  Hill  oc- 
cupied cantonments  upon  the  loft  bank  of  the  Tagus,  to  observe 
and  defend  the  pas.sage  of  that  river,  to  provide  for  the  safety  of 
Abrantes,  and,  in  the  event  of  Massena's  retning  over  the  Ze- 
zere,  to  be  early  in  motion  on  the  lino  of  liis  retreat  General 
Hill,  to  the  deej)  regret  of  his  division,  went  home  sick  in  De- 
cember, and  marshal  Beresford  succeeded  to  his  fine  command. 

With  a  view  to  the  relief  of  Badajos,  Wellmgton  was  already 
about  to  direct  tlie  march  of  this  corps  southward,  when  certain 
indications  of  a  movement  on  tlie  part  of  Massena  induced  him 
to  alter  this  disposition.  Bsresfbrd  was  ordered  to  advance  to 
Abrantes,  and  to  push  forward  a  detachment  of  his  corps  upon 
the  enemy's  posts  at  Puniiete.  A  brigade,  under  major-general 
the  honorable  William  Stewart,  was  actually  tlireatening  Pim- 
hete,  and  feeling  its  way  upon  tJieir  rear,  when  suddenly,  on 
tlie  night  of  the  oth  of  Alarcii,  the  French  corps  withdrew  from 
their  strong  [xwition  at  Santarem.  The  head-quarters  of  tlie 
allies  were  in  tliat  city  on  tlie  following  day ;  and  Wellington, 
completing  all  the  necessary  arrangements  with  his  wonted 
promptitude,  was  already  in  full  pursuit;  but  tlie  preparations 


16  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

for  this  retreat  of  the  French  were  so  perfect,  and  their  conduct 
of  it  so  masterly,  that  very  seriously  to  embarrass  them  was  not 
easy. 

Massena  preferred  that  route  which  ascends  the  left  bank  of 
the  Mondego  to  Guarda  and  Almeida.  To  guin  this  line  with 
security,  he  made  a  demonstration  with  one  corps  d'armee  from 
the  neighborhood  of  Leyria,  as  if  he  would  again  advance, 
while  with  the  main  body  he  fell  back  upon  Thomar,  detaching 
Loison,  with  one  division,  upon  his  flank,  by  the  road  of  Espinhal. 

Wellington  caused  Beresford  to  move  all  his  people  up  the  left 
bank  of  the  Tagus  on  the  5th,  and  at  break  of  day  on  tlie  Gth  he 
passed  through  Santarem  himself  to  pursue  the  enemy. 

It  was  at  first  thought  that  Massena  designed  to  assemble  and 
unite  his  forces  at  Thomar,  for  his  boats  at  Punliete  were  not 
destroyed  till  the  Gth.  Under  this  impression,  the  greatest  part 
of  Beresford's  corps  crossed  the  Tagus  at  Abrantes,  and  moved 
by  Punhete  upon  Thomar,  crossing  the  Zezere  by  a  boat  bridge 
brought  down  the  river  from  Abrantes. 

Three  divisions  of  the  army,  and  two  brigades  of  cavalry, 
marched  also  by  Golegao  upon  Thomar.  Here,  however,  the 
true  direction  of  the  retreat  was  ascertained ;  and  it  appeared 
that  the  French  columns  were  pointing  their  marches  upon 
Pombal. 

Upon  the  9th,  Massena  halted  in  front  of  this  place  in  posi- 
tion. Upon  the  10th,  Wellington  brought  up,  with  all  possible 
expedition,  as  many  troops  as  he  could  collect,  and  had  assem- 
bled six  divisions  and  the  cavalry  in  front  of  his  adversary.  In 
the  niglit  Massena  retired  through  tlie  town  of  Pombal.  He 
was  here  closely  pursued  by  the  light  division  ;  and  there  was  a 
hot  skirmish  near  the  castle  of  Pombal,  from  whence  the  enemy 
were  driven  away  by  so  brisk  and  resolute  an  attack,  that  they 
had  no  time  to  destroy  the  bridge,  though  it  was  already  mined. 

Upon  the  12th,  Ney,  who  covered  the  retreat  of  the  main 
body  with  some  thousands  of  the  choicest  troops,  drew  up  this 
fine  rear-guard  in  front  of  Redinha,  upon  ground  so  favorable, 
and  disposed  them  with  such  skill,  that  it  was  not  possible  to 
discover  whether  the  position  was  not  about  to  be  disputed  by  a 
very  large  force. 

Lord  Wellington  having  attacked  the  wooded  heights  upon 
Ney's  right  flank,  with  a  brigade  of  the  light  division  under  Sir 
William  Erskine,  directed  Picton  to  ascend  those  upon  the 
JVench  left.  These  two  points  were  seized  upon  with  great 
vigor  in  a  short  time ;  but  Ney  continued  to  hold  his  ground  with 
a  most  resolute  countenance,  till  Wellington,  bringing  forward 
a  great  mass  of  troops  in  battle  order  to  assail  him,  he  withdrew 
rapidly  by  the  village,  bridge,  and  ford  of  Redinha ;  covering  his 
movement  by  the  smoke  of  his  musketry,  and  effecting  it  without 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  17 

further  loss  tlian  tliat  which  had  been  already  sustained  in  fair 
combat.  Many  hours  were  thus  gained  for  the  sick,  the  baggage, 
and  the  main  body  of  the  French,  wliich  had  retired  upon  Con- 
deixa ;  whitlier  Ney,  with  the  rear-guard,  now  followed  them. 
About  21K)  men  fell  on  either  side  in  this  affair. 

Animated  by  the  determination  to  prevent,  if  possible,  Mas- 
eena's  passage  of  the  Mondego, — a  line  of  march  that  would  have 
thrown  his  opponent  into  a  country,  the  supplies  of  which  were 
unexliausted, — Wellington  pressed  forward  upon  tlie  13th,  and 
found  the  main  body  of  the  French  in  a  {xsition  of  great  strength 
near  Condcixa.  JMontbrun,  who  had  marched  with  a  strong  re- 
connoissance  upon  Coimbra,  fijmid,  upon  the  evening  of  tlie  11th, 
by  his  patroles,  that  the  bridge  of  Coimbra  was  broken  down, 
and  the  city  occupied,  as  lie  thought,  in  strength.  They  ex- 
amined the  bridge  and  fords  again  upon  the  12th  ;  but  the  gal- 
lant bearing  of  colonel  Trant,  with  a  few  hundred  of  the  militia, 
and  some  guns,  opjwsed  then:  passage,  and  saved  tlie  city  When 
this  state  of  things  was  reported  to  ^Massena,  he  decided  on  re- 
tiring by  the  Ponte  Murcella.  To  secure  his  communications 
witli  tlie  eighth  corps,  and  with  Loison,  he  moved  the  division  of 
Clausel  to  Ponte  Coberta,  about  five  miles  on  his  left ;  while  the 
position  of  Condelxa,  unassailable  in  front,  was  held  by  the  troops 
of  Ney. 

It  was  about  ten  in  the  morning  when  Wellington  came  be- 
fore it ;  and  judging  that  Alassena  considered  his  position  too 
secure  to  be  disturbed,  till  his  arrangements  for  continuing  his 
retreat  should  be  completed,  he  resolved  to  dislodge  him.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  sent  the  third  division,  under  Picton,  by  a  circuit- 
ous and  difficult  path  across  the  mountains  to  the  eastward,  to 
menace  the  only  road  open  in  his  rear:  no  sooner  were  the 
advanced  files  of  Picton's  column  of  march  discovered  at  a  point 
already  beyond  the  French  left,  than,  alarmed  by  this  bold  and 
brilliant  manoeuvre,  the  i^ench  broke  up  in  haste,  and  pushed 
for  Casal  Nova,  followed  by  the  British  as  fast  and  close  as  tlie 
prepared  obstacles  on  the  road  and  the  flaming  fires  of  C!ondeixa 
would  suffer  them  to  move  forward.  Nevertheless,  the  enemy's 
rear  was  pie.srfcd  so  closely,  that  the  advanced  guard  got  be- 
tween the  troops  at  Ponte  Coberta,  where  Massena  had  fixed  his 
head-quartersi,  and  the  main  body ;  as  Ney  would  make  no  effort 
ta  drive  back  the  British  skirmishers,  and  recover  tlie  point 
where  the  roada  from  Anciao  and  Miranda  de  Corvo  unite,  Mas- 
sena was  very  near  taken,  and  had  to  scramble  over  the  moun- 
tains by  night  to  rcgaui  Uie  army. 

At  daybreak  on  the  14t}i,  the  light  division,  under  Sir  William 

Erskinc,  marched  in  pursuit,  led  on  by  tJiat  officer  without  orders, 

and  without  due  precautions:  the  consequence  was,  tliat  the 

leading  regiment,  the  52d,  advancing  under  a  tliick  niiiit,  in  cd- 

B2 


18  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

umn  of  march,  came  suddenly  witliout  support  upon  the  face  of 
the  heights  occupied  by  the  army  of  the  enemy,  and  was  imme- 
diately engaged.  Thus  was  such  a  combat  as  interfered  with 
the  designs  of  lord  Wellington  forced  upon  him,  and  the  whole 
of  tlie  light  division  was  toon  extended  and  engaged  with  a  thick 
cloud  of  the  enemy's  skirmishers.  It  had  been  the  original  in- 
tention of  lord  Wellington  to  turn  the  enemy's  left,  and  accord- 
ingly, when  this  was  accomplished  by  the  movements  of  the 
tliird  and  fourth  divisions  under  Picton  and  Cole,  the  main  posi- 
tion, on  the  slope  of  which  this  useless  combat  had  been  stoutly 
maintained,  was  at  once  abandoned.  Ney  drew  off  in  fine  order, 
retiring  by  echellons  of  divisions,  and  disputing  every  favorable 
bridge  and  position,  till  (though  hurried  in  tlie  afternoon  by  the 
close  pursuit  of  the  artillery  and  the  light  troops  in  advance)  he 
gained  the  pass  of  Miranda  de  Corvo  with  a  trifling  loss.  In 
this  position  lay  the  main  body  of  the  enemy,  and  here  Mont- 
brun,  returning  from  his  unsuccessful  march  to  Coimbra,  re- 
joined tliem. 

Lord  Wellington,  by  his  vigorous  and  skilful  movements,  had 
now  succeeded  in  confining  the  army  of  Massena  to  one  narrow 
line  of  retreat  between  the  mountains  and  the  river  Mondego. 
Here  the  French  general  destroyed  much  ammunition  and  bag- 
gage. Ney,  -who  covered  the  movements  of  the  main  body  with 
a  strong  rear-guard,  had  halted  upon  the  left  bank  of  the  Ceira, 
in  a  rugged  and  defensible  position  near  the  village  of  Fons 
d'Aronce.  Here  lord  Wellington  found  him  late  in  the  after- 
noon, and  amusing  his  riglit  with  a  feint  attack,  vigorously 
charged  his  left  with  the  third  division,  while  a  battery  of  horse- 
artillery  being  advanced  rapidly  to  a  favorable  point  opened  hotly 
upon  his  dismayed  battalions,  and  they  were  driven  upon  the 
river  in  such  confusion,  that  m.any  were  drowned  in  attempting 
to  discover  the  lords,  and  many  were  trampled  to  death  on  the 
bridge.  In  this  panic  the  French  lost  at  the  least  500  men  :  the 
casualties  of  the  allies  were  trifling.  In  the  night,  Ney  blew  up 
the  bridge  and  retired ;  and  upon  the  16th  the  entire  army  of 
the  enemy  had  passed  the  Alva,  and  occupied  the  bold  and  formi- 
dable line  of  mountain  behind  that  river.  Upon  the  16th,  lord 
Wellington  was  constrained  to  halt.  Upon  the  night  of  the  13th 
he  had  heard  of  the  disgraceful  surrender  of  Badajos,  and  re- 
solved instantly  to  reinforce  the  corps  of  Beresford,  which  he 
had  already  halted  at  Thomar,  and  sent  back  to  the  Alemtejo, 
with  the  fourth  division,  and  a  brigade  of  heavy  cavalry.  These 
last  troops  had  been  detached  immediately  after  the  aflair  of  the 
14th  at  Casal  Nova ;  and  it  was  the  desire  of  lord  Wellington 
that  Beresford  should  take  instant  measures  for  the  recovery  of 
Badajos.  But  these  matters  on  the  Alemtejo  frontier  may  be 
related  in  another  place.    In  the  night  of  the  16th  a  bridge  upon 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  19 

trestles  was  thrown  over  tlie  Ceira  by  the  staff  corps,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  17th  the  army  passed  onward  in  pursuit.  Wel- 
lington found  his  antagonist  at  rest,  and  expecting  secure  repose 
behind  the  Alva,  Jiaving  destroyed  the  bridges  upon  that  river  at 
Pombeiro  and  Ponte  Murcella.  So  satislied  was  the  French 
marslial  of  a  long  breathing  time,  that  he  sent  out  his  foragers 
in  some  strength  to  procure  supplies; — but  Wellington  disturb- 
ing him  upon  tlic  lower  Alva  by  a  strong  demonstration  and  a 
lively  cannonade,  menaced  his  left  by  marching  three  divisions 
over  the  mountains.  These  movements  compelled  Massena  to 
concentrate  his  forces  in  tlie  strong  position  of  the  Serra  de  IMoita, 
out  of  which  he  was  soon  forced  by  the  brilliant  manoeuvres  of 
his  opponent.  Two  divisions  of  the  allies  passed  the  wide  and 
swollen  Alva  by  a  flying  bridge,  between  Pombeiro  and  Ponte 
Murcella,  while  the  right  wing  threatened  Massena  by  Arganil, 
and  upon  the  north  bank  of  the  Mondego,  a  body  of  militia,  un- 
der those  indefatigable  leaders  Trant  and  Wilson,  harassed  his 
flank.  Thus  preyed,  he  again  destroyed  all  such  stores  and 
baggage  as  encumbered  his  march,  left  his  scattered  foragers  as 
a  sure  prey  to  the  allies,  and  pushed  for  Celerico  and  Guarda. 
The  main  body  of  the  French  was  at  Celerico  on  tlie  21st,  under 
Massena,  whose  cavalry  instantly  communicated  with  Almeida, 
Meantime,  Regnier  with  the  second  corps  had  occupied  Guarda. 
Thus  holding  the  defiles  of  Guarda  open,  Massena  calculated 
upon  maintaining  himself  in  that  strong  country  for  some  time, 
and  avoiding  the  mortification  of  a  forced  retreat  into  Spain. 
The  pursuers  outmarched  their  supplies,  and  suffered  great  priva- 
tions. The  Portuguese  troops,  whose  commissariat  was  wretch- 
ed, were  almost  starving,  and  tlie  means  of  transpxjrt  were  un- 
equal to  keep  the  men  fed  during  the  exigencies  of  this  rapid 
advance:  therefore,  a  short  pause  was  unavoidable.  Massena 
considered  the  pursuit  at  an  end  ;  and  moving  Regnier  with  the 
second  corps  to  Bclmonte,  jxxsted  the  sixth  corps  at  Guarda,  and 
the  eighth  and  the  cavalry  in  the  valleys  to  the  eastward.  Du- 
ring these  operations,  Iilassena  and  Ney  had  quarrelled.  Mas- 
sena had  desired  to  march  by  his  left  through  tl;c  Estrella  to 
Coria  in  the  valley  of  the  Tagus,  and  thus  to  establish  a  com- 
munication with  the  armies  of  the  south  and  the  centre.  To  this 
Slan  Ney  had  violently  objected,  and  had,  in  disobedience  of  or- 
crs,  marched  in  tiie  aircction  of  Almeida.  Thus  tlie  design  of 
Massena  was  crossed;  and  thougli  he  superseded  Ney  in  his 
command,  and  sent  him  to  Paris,  tlie  moment  for  the  operation 
had  gone  by.  Nevertheless,  in  his  present  position  at  Guarda, 
he  still  calculated  on  being  able  to  keep  ojien  a  communication 
with  Soult,  and  by  his  co-operation  to  maintain  himself  in  Portu- 
gal till  he  could  resume  the  offensive. 
This  dream  of  security  was  dissipated,  on  tiie  morning  of  the 


20  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

29th,  by  the  sudden  and  simultaneous  appearance  of  five  columns 
of  attack  ascending  the  Guarda  mountain  by  five  different  roads 
or  paths.  This  position,  one  of  the  strongest  in  Portugal,  was 
abandoned  by  the  French  with  the  utmost  precipitation  :  without 
one  effort  for  its  defence,  they  hurried  down  the  only  open  road, 
and  crossed  the  Coa.  Upon  tliis  river  tlie  enemy  halted  till  the 
8d  of  April ;  having  the  sLxth  corps  at  Rovina,  the  eighth  at  Al- 
fayates,  and  the  second  upon  the  heights  behind  Sabugal,  at 
which  point  the  stream  takes  a  sudden  turn.  Massena  thus  held 
command  of  some  passes  to  the  south  beyond  Alfayates ;  com- 
municated with  Almeida ;  guarded  tiie  bridges  and  fords  on  the 
Coa ;  and  presented  two  strong  fronts,  covered  by  a  river,  and 
connected  by  the  strong  and  convenient  }K)int  of  Sabugal.  At 
daylight  on  the  3d,  Wellington  manojuvred  to  turn  the  left  of 
the  second  corps,  and,  by  a  well-combined  movement,  to  envelop 
and  cut  it  oft!  To  this  end  the  light  division  was  to  cross  the 
Coa  several  miles  above  Sabugal  at  a  ford ;  the  third  division  at 
another  a  little  to  the  left ;  while  the  cavalry  under  Slade  passed 
the  river  at  another  upon  the  extreme  right ;  the  fifUi  division 
was  to  force  the  bridge  at  Sabugal ;  the  sixth  was  to  observe 
the  enemy  at  Rovina ;  and  the  remaining  divisions  were  in  re- 
serve. 

The  morning  was  dark  and  misty.  A  brigade  of  the  light  di- 
vision, under  colonel  Beckwith,  was,  by  some  error  in  the  calcu- 
lation of  a  staff  officer,  ordered  to  the  attack  before  the  other 
troops  were  in  motion  on  their  respective  points. 

Colonel  Beckwith  forded  the  river  with  four  companies  of  the 
29th  (the  rifles),  and  with  the  43d  regiment.  The  riflemen  led 
up  the  heights  in  extended  order ;  the  43d  followed  in  column. 
The  riflemen  drove  in  the  enemy's  piquets,  but  were  almost  in- 
stantly forced  back  upon  the  43d  by  a  strong  reserve,  and,  the 
fog  clearing,  Beckwith  found  himself  in  the  presence  of  Reg- 
nier's  wliole  corps.  He  instantly  charged  and  repulsed  the 
French  column,  and  gained  the  brow  of  the  height ;  but  here  he 
was  directly  exposed  to  the  fire  of  two  guns  loaded  with  grape 
within  one  hundred  yards ;  and  was  forthwith  assailed  in  front 
and  upon  both  flanks  by  very  numerous  forces,  of  which  some 
were  horsemen.  The  heroism  of  Beckwith  and  his  men  was 
only  equalled  by  his  ability  and  tlieir  steadiness.  He  took  ad- 
vantage of  a  small  stone  inclosure,  and  made  it  good  ag'ainst  all 
assaults,  with  desperate  resolution.  The  fighting  was  furious, 
and  the  fire  of  the  43d  deadly;  and  in  the  midst  Beckwith 
charged  out  upon  the  enemy,  and  took  from  them  a  howitzer 
withm  fifty  yards  of  the  low  stone  wall  which  he  was  defend- 
ing. The  other  brigade  of  the  light  division  now  came  up  to 
their  support,  and  tlie  combat  was  continued  with  equal  spirit  by 
the  52d.    In  vain  did  Regnier  bring  forward  fresli  and  stronger 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  21 

columns,  in  vain  did  cavalry  fall  in  upon  the  skirmishers  of  the 
52d,  and  cause  a  momentary  confusion  ;  the  fierce  efforts  of  the 
enemy  were  all  firaily  repulsed,  and  tlie  brave  light  division 
kept  the  howitzer,  and  still  crowned  the  liill.  In  this  short  and 
blootly  strugj^le  the  Frencli  left  more  tlian  300  dead  bodies  upon 
the  ground,  and  their  wounded  were  v«ry  numerous.  The  allies 
had  only  200  killed  and  wounded. 

Regnicr,  maddened  by  this  repulse,  was  collecting  all  his  re- 
serves for  one  more  ellort,  when  the  fitlli  division  carried  the 
bridge  of  Sabugal,  and  a  column  of  the  third  appeared  on  his 
right  flank.  He  now  retired  hastily  ujwn  Alfayates,  and  lie  was 
joined  tit  Rondo  by  the  sixtli  corps.  The  next  day,  Massena 
took  the  road  of  Ciudad  Rodrigc,  and  on  the  5th  of  April  entered 
Spain.  Thus  terminated  the  memorable  invasion  of  Portugal. 
The  light  division  had  tlie  high  honor  of  seeing  it  recorded  in 
the  dispatches  of  lord  Wellington,  that  the  affair  at  Sabugal  was 
"  one  of  the  most  glorious  actions  that  British  troops  were  ever 
engaged  in." 

Upon  the  2.8th  of  March  the  army  was  joined  by  considerable 
reinforcements  from  England,  which  were  organized  as  a  seventh 
division.  These  troops  had  been  embarked  in  January ;  but,  be- 
ing detained  by  contrary  winds,  did  not  anchor  in  the  Tagus  till 
the  2d  of  Marcli.  Had  they  arrived  a  month  sooner,  the  expul- 
sion of  Massena  would  not  have  been  so  long  delayed  ;  for,  with 
the  aid  of  these  7(KX)  men,  Wellington  could  have  acted  upon 
the  offensive,  before  the  French  general,  yielding  to  a  stem 
necessity,  broke  up  from  his  position  at  Santarem.  By  the  want 
of  wholesome  and  sufficient  food,  by  consequent  sickness,  and  by 
relaxed  discipline,  his  army  had  very  severely  sufibred :  it  had 
wasted  down  to  40,0{K)  combatants.  He  had,  with  a  wise  and 
denying  economy,  kept  rations  sufficient  for  a  long  marcii  in 
store ;  and  these,  being  issued  at  the  moment  they  retired,  kept 
his  men  well  together,  and  in  good  spirits ;  and,  in  fact  (owing 
to  the  scarceness  and  badness  of  tlie  transport  of  tlie  allies),  tliey 
were  far  better  supplied  during  tlie  retreat  than  tiieir  pursuers.  It 
will  1)0  seen  that  both  the  retreat  and  the  pursuit  were  conducted 
with  consummate  ability  and  skill.  The  positions  of  the  enemy's 
rear-guard  were,  in  general,  chosen  with  a  fine  judgment,  and 
maintained  with  steadiness  to  the  latest  moment.  When,  how- 
ever, it  is  considered  tliat  lord  Wellington  pursued  his  adversary 
with  a  force  various  in  composition,  not  even  in  tlie  early  part  of 
the  advance  superior  in  numbers,  and  from  the  lltli  greatly  in- 
ferior,— that  the  enemy  wore  turned  or  driven  from  every  jxwi- 
lion  wlicre  they  attempted  to  delay  him  by  skilful  mano  uvre  or 
vigorous  assault, — that,  from  Condeixa  onwards,  they  were  com- 
pelled repeatedly  to  destroy  carriages,  stores,  ammunition,  and 
means  of  transport, — that  they  suffered,  in  \'ariou8  affairs,  a 


22  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

severe  loss  in  killed  and  wounded,  and  lost,  including  the  fora- 
gers upon  the  Alva,  near  2000  prisoners ;  and,  when  all  these 
results  of  the  campaign  are  set  in  contrast  with  the  haughty  and 
boastful  proclamations  of  Massena  eight  months  before,  the  reader 
will  have  little  difficulty  in  deciding  which  was  the  greater  cap- 
tain of  the  two, — the  "  spoiled  child  of  victory,"  or  the  firm  and 
illustrious  warrior  wJio  delivered  Portugal.  Nevertheless,  those 
public  men  and  public  prints  at  home,  whose  patriotic  care  it 
was  to  disparage  the  exploits  of  Wellington,  and  to  exalt  the 
generalship  of  the  French,  described  the  retreat  of  Massena  aa 
"  a  mere  change  of  position  from  the  Zezere  to  the  Agiieda" 
— as  a  manoeuvre  to  lead  the  allies  to  a  distance  from  their  re- 
sources, and  to  approach  his  own.  Thus  spoke  the  Opposition, 
both  in  and  out  of  parliament;  but  the  people  of  England  held 
very  different  language  :  they  read  of  the  sufferings  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Portugal  witli  a  deep  sympathy,  and  of  the  ferocious 
atrocities  of  the  French  with  honest  and  undisguised  indigna- 
tion ;  tliey  rejoiced  in  the  triumph  of  Wellington ;  they  were 
proud  of  the  conduct  of  tlie  British  troops ;  and  they  were  made 
sensible  of  the  blessing  of  that  happy  locality,  and  that  admirable 
constitution,  wJiich  saved  them  from  the  fearful  visitations  of 
foreign  and  tlie  unnatural  ravages  of  civil  war.  Of  a  truth,  the 
aifiictions  of  the  Portuguese  were  very  heavy.  A  wide  and 
spacious  district  of  the  land  had  been  for  months  occupied  by  a 
hostile  army,  and  abandoned  by  all  those  inhabitants  who  had 
listened  to  the  counsel  of  lord  Wellington  and  the  orders  of  their 
government.  The  condition  of  these  fugitives  was  pitiable 
enough  ;  but  the  fate  of  those  who,  from  indifference,  indolence, 
or  incredulity,  either  lingered  in  their  homes  to  take  their 
chance  of  events,  or  fled  at  the  latest  moment  to  some  hiding- 
place  not  far  from  their  abode,  never  has  been,  never  can  be, 
fully  ascertained.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  during  their  occupa- 
tion of  that  district  the  French  troops  suffered  grievously  for 
want  of  fooil ;  that  their  discipline  was  gone ;  that  they  foraged 
for  themselves ;  that  all  the  evil  spirits  among  them  had  oppor- 
tunity for  crime.  He  who  knows  how  intimate  is  the  connex- 
ion between  animal  wants  and  animal  ferocity,  and  how,  in 
such  connexion,  cruelty  the  most  abominable  may  consist  with 
infidel  civilization,  will  require  no  details  of  the  conduct  of  the 
French  army.  A  large  proportion  of  the  officers  and  of  the  men 
of  that  army  looked  with  horror  upon  the  atrocities  committed, 
and  with  contempt  upon  tliose  orders  of  their  general  whereby 
tlie  crimes  of  ruffians  who  disgraced  the  name  of  soldiers  were 
approved  and  sanctioned. 

By  express  orders  from  the  Frencli  head-quarters,  tiie  city  of 
Leyria,  and  the  church  and  convent  of  Alcoba^a  (which  last, 
says  Mr.  Southey,  are  to  the  Portuguese  as  Westminster  Abbey 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  23 

and  the  Bodleian  to  an  Englishman),  were  given  to  the  flames 
The  whole  line  of  their  retreat  was  marked  by  fire,  desolation, 
and  blood.  "  The  cruelties  perpetrated  cannot  and  ought  not  to 
be  described." — "  Every  horror  (says  Colonel  Napier)  that  could 
make  war  hideous  attended  this  dreadful  march."  In  the  dis- 
trict of  Coimbra  near  3(XX)  persons  were  murdered  by  the 
French,  as  they  passed  it  on  their  retreat.  In  those  provinces 
where  tlie  French  were  cantoned  during  their  partial  occupa- 
tion of  the  country,  t!ie  sufferings  of  tlie  people  were  dreadful. 
Thousands  hid  themselves  in  the  woods  and  mountains;  but 
even  here,  the  marauders  of  the  enemy,  prowling  like  wolves 
for  footl,  found  tliem, — some  in  large  and  trembling  companies, 
some  caverned  in  lonely  fear ;  and,  seizing  their  little  stores  of 
maize  or  pulse,  slew  them :  at  times,  in  cruel  favor,  sparing  the 
women. 

Prepared  by  such  actions,  they  became  the  ready  agents  of 
destruction  and  cruelty,  at  tlieir  general's  call ;  and  the  retreat 
of  Massena  was  marked  by  "  a  barbarity  seldom  equalled,  and 
never  surpassed."  Yet  it  is  but  just  to  repeat  the  observation, 
that  countless  enormities  may  be  the  work  of  but  a  small  num- 
ber of  villains ;  and  that  of  40,000  French  soldiers,  a  large  and 
gallant  majority  may  have  viewed  these  acts  and  orders  with 
abhorrence. 

The  last  body  of  the  enemy  which  passed  the  Agueda,  after 
the  combat  of  SabugaJ,  was  a  brigade  of  French  mfantry  of  the 
9th  corjjs,  which  had  been  detached  on  a  particular  service,  near 
Almeida,  and  was  actually  in  motion  to  attack  Trant  and  his 
militia  (then  watching  that  fortress),  when  the  cavalry  and 
horse  artillery  of  the  aUies  fell  hotly  upon  it  This  brigade  re- 
tired in  fine  order,  across  open  ground,  sustaining  a  close  can- 
nonade, and  being  menaced  on  £)tli  flanks  by  tlie  British  cav- 
alry. It  lost  near  300  men,  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  in 
this  movement ;  but  at  last,  gaining  a  stronger  country,  made 
good  its  retreat  across  the  Agueda,  by  Barba  del  Puerco. 

Not  a  French  soldier  was  now  left  in  arms  upon  the  soil  of 
Portugal,  save  the  garrison  of  Almeida.  This  fortress  was  im- 
mediately blockaded.  The  head-quarters  were  established  at 
Villa  Formosa;  the  troops  were  cantoned  in  advance;  and 
Wellington,  relieved  from  any  present  apprehension  for  the 
frontier  of  Beira,  suddenly  left  the  army,  and  rode,  by  long 
journeys,  to  the  Alemtejo,  to  visit  the  detached  corps  under 
marshal  Beresford. 


24  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 


CHAP.  III. 

BADAJOS  AND  CAMPO  MAYOR  TAKEN  BY  THE   FRENCH. BERESFORD  DRIVES 

THEM  FROM  CAMPO  MAYOR. MOVES  TO  ELVAS. PASSES  THE  GUADIANA. 

PREPARES   FOR    THE    SIEGE   OF  BADAJOS. LORD  WELLINGTON    VISITS 

THIS   CORPS  OF  THE    ARMY. EXAMINES    THE    DEFENCES   OF  BADAJOS. 

IS  SUDDENLY   RECAIJ:.ED   TO   BEIRA. — AFFAIRS   OF  CADIZ. BATTLE  OF 

BARROSA. — WAR  IN  CATALONIA. 

The  defeat  of  Mendizabal,  on  the  Gevora,  has  been  already 
recorded.  It  was  witnessed  from  the  walls  of  Badajos.  Three 
thousand  of  the  routed  soldiers  entered  that  fortress  by  the 
bridge,  and  joined  the  garrison,  which  was  thus  swelled  to  9000 
men.  Many  of  the  uihabitants  had  fled  to  avoid  the  perils  and 
privations  of  an  expected  siege,  therefore  food  was  abundant. 
They  had  military  stores  in  plenty ;  the  weather  was  severe, 
and  the  rains  heavy.  Every  thing  favored  the  besieged — every 
thing  was  against  the  besiegers.  However,  on  tlie  evening  of 
their  victory,  the  French,  witli  their  wonted  activity,  immedi- 
ately broke  ground  before  the  place.  Don  Raphael  Menacho, 
the  governor,  was  a  resolute  and  excellent  officer ;  the  troops 
had  great  confidence  in  his  measures ;  the  sallies  were  bold 
and  frequent ;  the  fire  of  the  besieged  was  true  and  weighty ; 
and  all  appearances  justified  the  expectation  that  Badajos  would 
be  most  successfully  defended.  The  French  had  pushed  their 
approaches  to  the  covered  way,  and  were  making  preparations 
to  blow  in  the  counterscarp,  when,  upon  the  night  of  the  2d  of 
March,  Menacho  led  a  vigorous  sally  against  their  nearest  bat- 
teries, spiked  their  guns,  and  destroyed  a  great  deal  of  their 
late  work.  For  this  advantage  the  Spaniards  paid  incalculably 
dear — Menacho  was  slain,  and  the  heart  of  their  hopes  was 
struck.  One  Imas  succeeded  to  the  command;  the  French 
made  rapid  progress;  the  ditch  was  gained,  and  the  rampart 
was  breached ;  upon  the  10th  of  March,  the  governor  was 
sternly  summoned  to  surrender  the  place,  or  abide  tlie  conse- 
quences of  a  refusal. 

Menacho,  before  his  death,  had  retrenched  the  streets,  and 
shown  sufficiently  his  intentions.  Imas  was  a  man  of  another 
sort.  He  had  received  clear  and  correct  information  of  the 
state  of  affairs  on  the  Tagus ;  he  knew  of  Massena's  retreat ; 
he  knew  that  a  very  strong  corps  of  British  and  Portuguese  was 
advancing  to  his  relief;  the  breach  was  as  yet  narrow,  imper- 
fect, and  difficult ;  he  had  8000  soldiers  within  the  walls,  whOe 
the  camp  of  the  besiegers  contained  only  14,000  men.  Yet 
Imas,  upon  this  summons,  immediately  surrendered  the  place. 
The  garrison  were  made  prisoners  of  war ;  and,  as  if  to  amuse 
themselves  with  his  dishonor,  the  enemy  suffered  his  grenadiers 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  25 

to  march  out  by  a  breach,  which  his  own  workmen  had  to  en- 
large tliat  they  might  do  so.  As  Imas  obtained  his  own  liberty, 
and  gave  tlie  French  all  the  intelligence  of  which  he  was  in 
possession,  of  his  treachery  there  can  be  little  doubt  This  dis- 
graceful business  was  a  severe  mortification  to  lord  Wellington, 
whose  plans  were  thus  of  necessity  disconcerted. 

As  soon  as  Badajos  fell,  Soult,  alarmed  by  the  recent  opera- 
tions of  the  British  at  Cadiz,  returned  to  Seville.  Mortier,  pur- 
suing his  directions,  marched  upon  Campo  Mayor  with  his  in- 
fantry, and  summoned  that  place,  while  his  cavalry  under  La- 
tour  Maubourg  seized  uix)n  Albuquerque  and  Valencia  d' Alcan- 
tara, making  a  few  hundred  prisoners  in  those  towns.  Mortier 
looked  for  the  instant  surrender  of  Campo  Mayor,  for  it  is  a 
weak  place,  commanded,  at  tlie  distance  of  400  yards,  by  a  low 
hill ;  and  it  was  only  defended  by  200  men  and  five  mounted 
guns.  But  these  means  of  defence  were  under  the  orders  of  a 
brave  and  able  man,  a  major  Tallaia,  an  officer  of  engineers  in 
the  Portuguese  service;  and  Mortier  was  compelled  to  open 
trenches,  to  batter  in  breacli,  to  bombard  the  place,  and  to  ad- 
vance to  the  crest  of  the  glacis  by  the  regular  process  of  the 
sap.  When  the  breach  was  made,  and  the  place  was  again 
summoned,  tliis  faitlaful  Portuguese  demanded  of  his  enemy 
twenty-four  hours,  to  see  if  it  were  possible  that  he  could  be 
succored.  Mortier  granted  this  honorable  demand,  and,  at  the 
expiration  of  the  time  agreed  upon,  the  gallant  Tallaia  surren- 
dered his  charge. 

This  conquest,  however,  the  enemy  did  not  long  retain  ;  for 
already  Beresford  was  advancing  at  tlie  head  of  22,000  men, 
with  instructions  to  repair  the  (lisasters  in  this  quarter,  by  re- 
lieving Campo  Mayor,  and  laying  siege  to  Badajos. 

Upon  the  morning  of  the  26th,  Beresford's  advanced  guard, 
consisting  of  2000  horse,  and  a  strong  detachment  of  infantry 
under  Colonel  Colborne,  came  upon  the  place  just  as  tlie  enemy 
were  hastily  moving  out  Then-  battering  train  of  thirteen 
guns,  escorted  by  three  battalions,  was  in  march  upon  the  road 
to  Badajos,  accompanied  by  1200  cavalry,  with  horse-artillery. 
The  allies  pursued  them.  Colonel  Colborne,  with  his  infantry 
on  tiie  right,  and  at  some  distance ;  Colonel  Head,  with  the  13tli 
Light  Dragoons,  supported  by  two  squadrons  of  Portuguese, 
was  upon  the  left,  close  in  with  them.  The  fine  brigade  of  the 
British  heavy  cavalry  was  in  reserve.  The  ground  was  an  open 
plain,  and  fiivorable  for  the  operations  of  horse  all  tlie  way  to 
Badajos.  Some  French  hussars  charged  out  upon  the  13th  and 
die  Portuguese,  to  favor  the  march  of  their  infantry  and  guns, 
and  pain  time  for  them  to  push  onward ;  but  they  were  driven 
off. instantly.  Four  regiments  of  "French  dragoons  now  drew 
up  and  presented  a  very  formidable  front ;  but  the  l',i\h  British 

Vol.  II.  C 


36  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

with  great  spirit  charged  through  them ;  galloped  forwards ;  cut 
down  the  French  gunners  upon  the  road,  who  were  conducting 
the  heavy  train ;  and,  pursuing  their  success,  headed  the  French 
column  of  march.  Some  of  them  formed  far  in  front  of- it, 
while  others,  more  hot  and  uncontrollable,  carried  on  a  running 
and  irregular  combat  with  the  fugitive  horsemen  of  the  enemy, 
several  of  the  British  dragoons  being  actually  at  last  taken  at 
the  very  gates  of  Badajos.  The  French  pursued  their  march 
without  further  interruption.  They  had  about  300  killed  and 
wounded,  and  lost  one  howitzer.  Colonel  Clamorin,  a  distin- 
guished officer  of  French  dragoons,  was  slain  in  this  afiair. 

Marshal  Beresford  made  no  use  of  his  heavy  cavalry,  so  that 
Colborne's  detachment  of  infantry  could  not  of  course  be  brouglit 
to  bear  upon  the  enemy's  line  of  march,  and  they  got  safe  into 
Badajos,  having  very  narrowly  escaped  destruction  or  captivity. 

The  marshal  now  placed  his  troops  under  cover  at  Elvas,  and 
in  tlie  towns  and  villages  convenient  to  that  fortress,  in  which 
all  the  necessary  stores  for  his  future  operations  were  to  be  col- 
lected. The  enemy  had  placed  a  garrison  of  3000  men  in  Ba- 
dajos, and  400  were  left  in  Olivenza.  Beresford's  troops,  who 
had  been  harassed  witli  severe  marches  ever  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  month,  were  greatly  in  want  of  shoes,  and  needed 
some  refreshment  and  repose. 

Captain  Squires  of  tlie  engineers  was  directed  to  prepare, 
with  all  possible  expedition,  the  means  of  passing  the  Guadiana, 
at  Jurumenha ;  and  a  bridge  laid  down  upon  trestle  piers,  and 
connected  by  some  large  boats,  was  ready  by  the  3d  of  April ; 
but,  in  the  night,  the  river  rose  and  carried  away  the  trestles. 

This  difficulty  was  met  by  constructing  a  bridge  upon  pon- 
toons and  casks,  strong  enough  for  the  passage  of  infantry,  and 
with  the  boats  forming  flying  bridges  tor  the  cavalry  and  guns. 

By  the  evening  of  the  6th  of  April  the  whole  force  had 
crossed  the  river,  and  taken  up  a  position  upon  the  left  bank. 
While  these  things  were  doing  by  the  allies,  general  Phillipon 
was  busily  engaged  in  restoring  the  defences  of  Badajos ;  and 
Latour  Maubourg,  who  had  succeeded  to  the  command  of  Mor- 
tier,  was  sweeping  up  all  the  supplies  of  Estremadura  with 
movable  columns  and  cavalry,  to  provision  it  for  a  siege.  There- 
fore the  passage  of  the  Guadiana,  owing  to  the  employment  al- 
ready on  their  hands,  was  not  looked  to  by  the  French  till  it 
was  actually  effected ;  and  Latour  Maubourg  did  not  move  to 
oppose  it  till  the  7th,  when  he  came  in  front  of  the  allied  position 
with  3000  infantry  and  500  horse.  In  the  night  the  enemy, 
passing  undiscovered  between  some  Portuguese  videttes,  sur- 
prised and  captured  a  squadron  of  the  13th  Liglit  Dragoons : 
nor  was  this  all.  Some  of  them  penetrated  into  tlie  village, 
where  head-quarters  were  established,  and  were  fired  upon  by  a 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  27 

Serjeant's  guard.  From  this  strange  and  successful  adventure 
they  returned  without  furtlier  molestation  than  the  alarm,  which 
they  had  at  once  shared  and  caused,  when  they  found  them- 
selves fired  u{)on  in  the  village. 

Beresford  now  advanced,  and  summoned  Olivenza.  The  of- 
ficer in  command  of  the  place  returned  the  answer  to  be  ex- 
pected ;  and  the  marshal,  sending  for  heavy  guns,  after  a  halt 
of  two  days,  moved  forward  himself,  and  letl  general  Cole  with 
the  4th  division  to  reduce  the  place.  Upon  the  14th  of  April,  a 
battery  of  six  twenty-four  pounders  wjis  opened  upon  Olivenza. 
It  was  breached  in  one  day,  and  surrendered  on  the  next 

Beresford,  now  desirous  to  pusli  tlie  French  out  of  Estrema- 
dura,  advanced  witli  a  view  to  clearing  ground  for  his  subsequent 
operations  against  Badajos,  as  far  as  Zafra.  Upon  the  way  up, 
the  advanced  guard  came  upon  two  regiments  of  French  hus- 
sars, at  the  village  of  Los  Santos  de  Maunona.  They  were  im- 
mediately charged,  driven,  and  pursued,  losing  men,  killed  or 
taken,  every  hundred  yarda  More  than  seventy  of  the  4th 
and  KHh  French  hussars  were  captured.  The  allies  had  not  a 
man  killed  or  wounded. 

The  troojjs  lay  for  a  few  days  collected  at  Zafra  and  the  towns 
near :  meanwhile  great  exertions  were  made  at  Jurumenha  to 
construct  strong  bridges;  and  a  position  was  marked  out  and 
intrenclied  upon  the  left  bank,  to  admit  of  their  being  defended 
by  a  strong  force  of  infantry,  should  circumstances  arise  to  en- 
danger the  coimnunication.  Lord  Wellington  reached  Elvas  on 
the  21st,  and  proceeded  on  the  22d  to  reconnoitre  Badajos,  pass- 
ing the  Guadiana  below  the  mouth  of  the  Caya  with  a  strong 
escort  of  German  and  Portuguese  cavalry.  This  reconnoissance 
was  so  Iiappily  managed  that  the  governor  was  made  to  sally  out 
and  show  the  strength  of  his  garrison.  Tlie  convoy,  which  tlie 
allies  hatl  threatened,  and  for  which  he  was  properly  jealous, 
reached  the  town.  The  loss  on  eitlier  side  was  inconsiderable. 
Before  Badajos  was  invested,  lord  Wellington  assured  himself 
of  the  co-operation  of  the  Spanish  generals,  and  of  tlieir  consent 
to  follow  the  plan  of  operations  which  he  laid  down.  It  was  ar- 
ranged, and  justly,  that  the  general  commanding  the  largest 
portion,  and  the  best  disciplined  luid  most  elTective  of  the  troops, 
whose  movements  were  to  be  now  combined,  should  command 
the  whole.  Castanos,  tlie  senior  general  of  the  Spaniards,  met 
this  proposal  with  a  very  ready  and  generous  consideration. 
Lord  Wellington  foresaw  tlie  probability  that  Soult  would  ad- 
vance to  raise  the  siege ;  and  giving  Beresford  permission  to 
fight  a  battle,  if  circumstances  admitted  of  his  doing  it  witli 
prudence,  he  named  Albuera  as  the  point  of  assembly  for  the 
Spanish  and  Britisli  forces,  and  tlie  best  field  of  battle.  Tlie 
Guadiana  rose  agaut  on  the  24tli  to  the  height  of  ten  feet,  and 


28  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

carried  away  the  bridge  at  Jurutnenha.  Thus,  for  a  short  time, 
Merida  became  of  necessity  the  line  of  communication  with 
Portugal,  though  the  detour  was  considerable.  By  this  serious 
difficulty  the  commencement  of  operations  against  Badajos  was 
again  delayed.  Until  the  bridge  was  re-established,  it  was,  of 
course,  impossible  to  bring  forward  the  engineer  and  artillery 
means  required  for  the  siege.  In  addition  to  this  obstacle  great 
inconvenience  arose  from  some  angry  misunderstanding  between 
the  Portuguese  and  Spaniards,  originating  in  some  excesses 
committed  by  the  latter  at  Fernando  in  Portugal.  These  bitter 
differences  Mr.  Stuart  at  last  succeeded  in  composing.  Before, 
however,  the  Spanish  generals  had  given  their  full  and  final 
assent  to  the  siege  of  Badajos  being  actually  undertaken  by  a 
force  composed  of  English  and  Portuguese  troops,  lord  Welling- 
ton received  a  summons  from  the  general  commanding  the  main 
army  in  his  absence,  and  returned  hastily  to  Beira.  Thus  mar- 
shal Beresford  remained  in  a  difficult  command  alone, — with  a 
city  to  besiege,  and  Soult  for  an  opponent  in  the  field.  Before 
we  follow  the  steps  of  Wellington  to  the  north,  the  operations 
of  the  allies  at  Cadiz,  in  the  beginning  of  March,  deserve  a  par- 
ticular notice.  While  Soult  was  engaged  in  Estremadura,  gene- 
ral Graham  and  the  Spanish  general  La  Peiia,  concerted  an  ex- 
pedition for  raising .  the  blockade  of  Cadiz  and  destroying  the 
French  works  in  front  of  the  Isla  de  Leon.  Anxious  that  the 
attempt  should  be  mide,  and  hopeful  of  its  success,  Graham, 
looking  only  to  the  good  cause,  consented  to  act  under  the  orders 
of  La  Peiia.  There  were  not  more  than  10,000  troops  in  the 
French  lines, — there  were  no  less  than  20,000  in  Cadiz  and  the 
Isla.  Towards  the  close  of  February,  about  12,000  of  tlie  allies 
were  embarked  at  Cadiz  for  Tarifa.  This  force  was  destined  to 
act  upon  the  enemy's  rear  at  Chiclana,  while  general  Zayas, 
commanding  in  the  Isla  de  Leon,  was  to  throw  a  bridge  over  the 
Santi  Petri  near  the  sea-mouth,  and  with  the  troops  from  tlie 
Isla  was  to  support  the  attack. 

A  gale  of  wind  carried  the  transports  past  Tarifa,  and  they 
were  forced  to  land  in  Algesiras  Bay.  From  hence  they  marched 
to  Tarifa,  while  the  guns,  there  being  no  road  for  artillery,  were 
shipped  in  launches,  and  towed  back  to  that  point  by  the  hard 
and  hearty  exertions  of  the  seamen.  On  the  27th  the  whole 
force  was  assembled  at  Tarifa,  and  Graham  was  joined  by  the 
28th  regiment,  and  the  flank  companies  of  the  9th  and  82d. 
Upon  the  28th  La  Pefia  advanced.  On  the  2d  of  March  he 
carried  an  outpost  of  the  enemy  at  Cassa  Viejas,  which  they  had 
intrenched  two  days  before  ;  and  on  the  3d  he  drove  them  from 
Vejer  de  la  Frontera,  another  of  their  detached  posts.  Zayas 
had  fulfilled  his  part  by  throwing  a  bridge  over  the  Santi  Petri 
on  the  2d,  and  had  cast  up  an  intrenchment  to  protect  it.     On 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  29 

the  nights  of  the  3d  and  4th,  the  enemy  made  attacks  upon  the 
bridge,  but  without  success.  Upon  tlie  morning  of  the  5th  the 
allies  reached  the  low  ridge  of  Barrosa.  Those  heights  are 
about  four  miles  from  the  sea-mouth  of  tlie  Santi  Petri.  To 
open  the  communication  with  the  Isla  was  La  Pefia's  first  object 
He  sent  forward  general  Lardizabal,  with  his  division,  to  effect 
this.  Lardizabal  attacked  the  French  posts,  which  interposed 
at  that  point,  and  after  a  very  severe  affair,  conducted  on  his 
part  with  great  spirit,  and  with  considerable  loss  of  men,  he 
carried  the  enemy's  intrenchments,  and  gained  the  bridge-head. 
The  junction  with  Zayas  was  thus  effected.  I^  Pena  now 
moved  witJi  the  main  body  of  the  Spaniards  to  tlie  heights  of 
Bermeja,  and  sent  orders  to  Graham  to  follow  in  support.  The 
line  of  Graham's  march  was  not  far  from  the  coast ;  the  direction 
was  nearly  parallel  with  it,  and  the  road  lay  through  a  rough 
plain,  thickly  wooded.  While  the  general  was  advancing  across 
this  ground  to  the  Bermeja  height,  distant  about  three  miles,  he 
discovered  a  French  division  upon  his  right  flank,  only  a  few 
hundred  yards  from  the  wood,  and  another  ascending  the  Barrosa 
ridge,  whicli  he  had  just  quitted,  and  where  he  had  only  left  a 
weak  rear-guard  of  British  and  two  Spanish  battalions.  Tiie 
French  corijs  was  commanded  by  marshal  Victor  in  person. 
Graham  saw  all  the  danger  of  his  situation,  and  decided  upon 
striking  the  first  blow,  trusting  to  valor  and  a  gooil  cause  for  the 
issue.  He  countermarched  his  small  force ;  directed  the  right 
brigade,  under  general  Dilkes,  against  the  Barrosa  height ;  and 
the  left,  under  colonel  Wheatly,  against  the  division  beyond  the 
wood  upon  the  plain.  The  rear-guard  having  no  power  to  resist 
the  enemy's  occupation  of  the  Barrosa  hill,  had  retired,  as  they 
marched  up,  and  the  division  of  Ruffin  was  now  formed  upon  its 
summit  Tiiat  of  Laval,  ujwn  the  plain,  was  the  first  reached 
by  the  British.  Ten  guns,  under  major  Duncan,  opened  upon  it 
with  a  most  true  and  destnictive  fire;  and  colonel  Wheatly  gal- 
lantly advanced,  tlie  French  division  meetinor  him  most  readily. 
The  musketry  soon  began  to  roll  heavy  and  deadly ;  while  the 
riflemen  and  Portuguese,  under  colonel  Barnard,  wiio  had  been 
tljrown  out  on  colonel  Wheatly's  left  at  tlie  commencement, 
gradually  gained  ground.  At  last,  Wheatly  ordered  a  charge  ; 
and  the  first  line  of  tlic  French,  despite  a  valiant  resistance,  was 
driven  ujKin  the  second :  but  tlie  bayonets  of  the  87th,  and  some 
companies  of  tlie  Coldstream,  were  in  the  midst  of  them,  before 
they  had  time  to  reform,  and  they  were  driven  from  their  ground 
in  confusbn,  leaving  an  eagle  with  the  B7th  regiment  While 
this  was  passing  on  the  left,  Dilkes  marched  upon  the  Barrosa 
height,  and  on  me  lowest  part  of  the  brow  Ruffin  met  his  attack 
with  eagerness.  The  fighting  was  very  fierce,  and  tlie  carnage 
great,  but  tlie  struggle  was  not  long ;  and  the  French  hurried 
C2 


30  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

from  the  hill,  leaving  three  guns  and  a  field  of  dead  with  the 
British.  The  beaten  divisions  inclining  towards  each  other  as 
they  retired,  as  soon  as  they  met  attempted  a  new  formation  ; 
but  the  British  artillery  poured  upon  them  so  terrible  a  fire, 
that  to  recover  from  their  confusion  was  impossible,  and  they 
crowded  fast  away,  in  tumult  and  disorder.  These  bloody  com- 
bats lasted  little  more  than  an  hour ;  but  in  that  short  time  1200 
British  and  2000  Frenchmen  were  struck  down,  slain,  or  wounded. 
Two  French  generals  were  mortally  wounded ;  400  prisoners, 
six  guns,  and  an  eagle,  remained  with  the  victors. 

General  la  Peua,  who  had  not  made  a  single  movement  in 
support  of  the  British,  while  thus  terribly  engaged  with  very 
superior  numbers,  when  the  field  was  won,  and  the  French  were 
retreating  without  order,  and  with  a  lost  heart,  would  undertake 
nothing  against  them,  and  suffered  a  glorious  opportunity  of  doing 
good  service  to  pass  without  one  effort  to  improve  it.  This  dis- 
gusted Graham.  While  Victor,  with  Ruffin  and  Laval,  had 
attacked  Graham,  he  left  Villatte,  with  3000  men,  to  cover  the 
French  works,  and  to  watch  the  Spaniards  at  Santi  Petri  and 
on  the  Bermeja  height ;  yet  La  Pena,  with  12,000  Spanish  in- 
fantry and  800  horse,  under  his  immediate  orders  (for  Zayas  had 
joined  him),  would  strike  no  blow.  The  day  after  the  battle, 
therefore,  Graham  led  back  the  British  to  the  Isla  de  Leon.  The 
Spanish  general  remained  for  several  days  without ;  but  he  did 
nothing  against  the  enemy's  works,  and  refused  acting,  unless 
Graham  and  the  British  would  co-operate.  While  thus  he  sat 
idle  in  his  camp,  admiral  Keats,  with  his  seamen  and  marines, 
was  actually  destroying  several  of  the  enemy's  batteries  and 
stores  at  different  points  of  the  harbor,  before  his  eyes.  At  last 
the  French,  wondering  at  their  own  fortune,  returned.  Garri- 
sons had,  indeed,  been  left  at  some  of  the  strongest  points  of 
their  line,  but  the  rest  of  the  troops  Victor  had  drawn  off".  Find- 
ing, however,  that  he  was  not  followed,  and  his  lines  not  attack- 
ed, he  came  back  with  a  bold  face ;  La  Peiia  passed  into  the  Isla 
de  Leon,  and  destroyed  the  bridge,  and  the  blockade  of  Cadiz 
was  re-established. 

With  far  different  support,  with  irregular  forces  under  their 
orders,  and  with  no  such  brilliant  opening  of  fortune  as  that  just 
recorded,  the  Catalan  chiefs  maintained  the  unequal  struggle 
against  tlieir  able  enemies,  with  a  constancy  and  vigor  which 
gilded  then:  very  disasters  with  glory.  Wherever  the  French 
moved,  wherever  they  halted,  how  strong  soever  the  fortresses 
and  towers  which  they  garrisoned,  from  flie  line  of  march,  from 
the  bivouac,  from  the  bastions,  their  scouts  and  sentinels  saw 
hostile  forms  on  every  commanding  rock,  and  bands  of  sandalled 
peasants  were  moving  upon  the  mountain  tops  in  arms.  The 
British  flag,  indeed,  flow  encouragingly  upon  the  coast ;  and  no 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  31 

opportunity  was  ever  lost  by  tlie  zealous  navy  a[  England  to 
support  the  enterprises  of  tlus  true  and  faithful  people,  or  to 
menace  tlie  communications  and  harass  the  movements  of  the 
French :  but  here,  in  Catalonia,  where  a  strong  division  of  Brit- 
ish troops  might  have  saved  the  province,  not  one  soldier  was 
sent  till  the  moment  for  any  wise  or  hopeful  effort  was  gone  by, 
and  the  kingdom  was  already  lost. 

As  early  as  July,  1810,  Suchet  commenced  his  preparations 
lor  the  siege  of  Tortosa,  a  point  upon  t!ie  Ebro  of  the  first  mili- 
tary importance.  In  tliis  operation,  marshal  Macdonald,  who 
had  succeeded  the  fierce  and  severe  Angereau  in  command  of 
Catalonia,  was  to  assist ;  but  for  a  time  he  had  his  own  hands 
full  of  constant  and  vexatious  employment  in  Upper  Catalonia. 
Amid  so  active  and  brave  a  population  as  the  Catalans,  it  was 
no  light  labor  to  establish  magazines  at  the  necessary  dejidts ;  to 
provide  for  tlie  supply  of  Barcelona,  and  to  free  it  from  the  in- 
conveniences of  a  perpetual  blockade.  Macdonald  effected  these 
objects,  but  not  without  the  active  opposition  of  the  Sjianish 
general  O'Donnel.  Barcelona,  however,  having  been  effectually 
relieved,  Macdonald  took  jxist  at  Cervera,  as  a  central  position, 
whence  he  might  at  the  same  time  cover  tlie  operations  against 
Tortosa  and  menace  tlie  line  of  the  LlobregaL  The  troops  of 
Suchet  were  already  in  the  environs  of  Tortosa,  and  he  intrench- 
ed Mora  and  Xerta ;  the  one  as  a  tete  de  pont  upon  the  Ebro, 
the  otiier  as  a  dep6t  for  his  siege  stores. 

While  marshal  Macdonald  lay  in  position  at  Cervera,  O'Donnel 
suddenly  quitting  Tarragona,  in  force,  marched  upon  Mataro. 
His  guns  were  conveyed  by  sea.  He  arrived  at  Alataro  on  the 
10th  of  September,  and  upon  the  14th  he  surprised  the  brigade 
of  general  Schwartz,  at  Bisbal,  and,  after  a  short  and  ineffectual 
resistance,  the  general  and  his  men  were  made  prisoners.  At 
St.  Feliu,  at  Palanios,  and  in  the  little  castle  of  Calonge,  the 
detachments  from  this  brigade  were  captured  by  the  column 
under  colonel  Fleyres.  In  all,  1100  good  French  soldiers  were 
taken  ;  many  fell  in  the  act  of  resistance ;  and  a  very  complete 
success  crowned  the  happy  enterprise,  and  skilful  movements, 
of  O'Donnel.  Tiiis  sadly  disconcerted  the  French  marshal,  who 
was  soon  obliged  to  move  again  into  Upper  Catalonia,  and  to 
take  with  him  his  whole  force,  to  give  escort  to  a  convoy  assem- 
bled at  Gerona,  for  the  provision  of  Barcelona.  This  duty  per- 
formed, the  marshal,  who  had  now  received  considerable  rein- 
forcements from  France,  returned  to  tiic  Ebro  at  the  head  of 
15,090  men.  The  absence  of  the  corps  of  Macdonald,  and  tlie 
inconvenient  but  unavoidable  delay  in  his  projected  siege  of 
Tortosa,  was  most  embarrassing  to  Suchet ;  but  he  maintained 
his  position  resolutely,  though  subjected  to  the  frequent  attacks 
both  of  the  Catalan  and  Valenciaa  forces,  as  also  to  tlie  sorties 


32  MILITARY  MEiMOIRS  OF 

of  the  garrison.  In  all  tliese  partial  engagements  the  French 
were  quite  successful ;  and  especially  in  one,  near  Vineros,  the 
Valencian  army,  under  Bassecourt,  was  severely  beaten  by  gen- 
eral Musnier,  and  lost  from  2000  to  3000  men.  At  length,  on 
the  15th  of  December,  Tortosa  was  closely  invested  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  and  Macdonald  took  post  at  Perillo,  to  cover 
the  operations  of  the  siege  on  the  side  of  Tarragona.  Upon  the 
18th,  the  French  established  themselves  on  the  heights,  in  front 
of  Fort  Orleans,  and  dug  their  first  parallel  the  next  night,  on 
the  low  ground  between  that  fort  and  tlie  river.  As  the  works 
of  the  besiegers  proceeded,  the  sorties  of  the  garrison  were  fre- 
quent, but  had  no  success.  The  covered  way  was  crowned  on 
the  seventh  night ;  nor  had  the  French,  as  yet,  opened  a  single 
battery.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  eighth  day,  as  they  were 
bringing  their  guns  into  the  batteries,  the  Spaniards  made  a 
furious  sally,  in  very  great  strength ;  gained  the  trenches ;  over- 
powered the  guard,  and  filled  in  a  portion  of  the  sap,  with  one 
column,  while  another  body  rushed  upon  the  artillery ;  but  these 
last  were  bravely  checked,  till  a  heavy  reinforcement  was 
brought  up,  and  the  Spaniards  were  instantly  driven  back,  leav- 
ing 400  men  killed  and  wounded  in  the  hands  of  tlie  besiegers. 
After  seventeen  days  of  open  trenches,  the  place  was  laid  open 
to  assault.  The  counterecarp  was  blown  in ;  there  were  two 
good  breaches,  and  the  troops  were  assembled  for  the  storm. 
The  count  de  Alaclia,  after  vainly  attempting  to  obtain  better 
terms,  surrendered  at  discretion ;  and  tlie  garrison  marched  out 
7500  strong,  having  lost  1500  men  during  the  attack.  Tlie  force 
of  the  besiegers  amounted  to  10,000,  and  they  did  not  lose  500. 
The  siege  was  under  the  able  direction  of  the  baron  Rogniat ; 
and  to  liis  skilful  attack  the  speedy  and  comparatively  bloodless 
triumph  of  the  French  is  due.  The  fort  on  the  Col  de  Balaguer 
was  surprised  and  taken  the  very  next  morning. 

Among  the  many  eSjrts  made  during  the  siege  to  disturb  the 
enemy,  one  by  a  party  of  British  seamen,  under  Captain  Fane, 
most  gallant  and  successful  at  the  first,  terminated  in  disaster. 
They  landed  on  the  13th  of  December,  at  Palamos,  attacked 
and  drove  away  a  French  battalion,  and  captured  a  convoy  of 
eleven  vessels  laden  with  provisions,  which  lay  under  the  guns 
of  the  Mole.  Their  work  done,  they  neglected  to  keep  together, 
and  being  scattered  about  the  town,  the  French  troops  rallied, 
returned,  and  fell  briskly  upon  them.  The  sailors,  thus  taken  at 
a  disadvantage,  could  make  no  efiectual  resistance.  They 
fought  in  a  brave,  disjointed  manner:  122  were  killed  and 
wounded ;  Captain  Fane  and  86  men  were  made  prisoners. 

By  tlie  fall  of  Tortosa,  the  gallant  Catalans  were  left  without 
any  hope  of  aid  from  the  neighboring  provinces.  On  the  side 
of  Arragon,  the  capture  of  Lerida  and  Mequinenza  had  *<efore 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  33 

straitened  them ;  this  last  blow  shut  them  out  from  all  commu- 
nication with  Valencia.  No  succor  could  reach  them  now 
otherwise  than  by  sea.  The  fortress  and  port  of  Tarragona  yet 
remained,  but  the  eye  of  the  invader  was  already  on  them ;  and 
the  bare-bosomed  peasant  well  knew  that  the  last  dreary  cita- 
dels of  Catalonia  would  be  the  rocky  summits  of  her  naked 
mountains,  at  the  foot  of  which  lay  tlie  blackened  and  roofless 
walls  of  desolated  homesteads. 


CHAP.  IV. 

MASSENA  REAPPEARS  SUDDENLY  IN  THE  FIELD. THE  BATTIJ:  OF  FUENTK8 

DE  HONOR. THE  FRENCH  EVACUATE  ALMEIDA. BERESFORD  LAYS  SIEOE 

TO  BADAJOS. — SOULT  ADVANCES  TO  SUCCOR  THAT  FORTRESS. THE  BAT- 
TLE OF  ALBUERA. 

There  is  no  feature  in  tlie  military  character  of  the  French 
more  admirable  than  that  ho})eful  elasticity  of  mind  with  which 
they  cheerfully  apply  themselves  to  repair  losses  and  misfor- 
tune. Within  a  little  month  tiie  discomfited  army  of  Portugal 
was  organized  anew ;  was  reinforced  by  the  army  of  the  north, 
and  by  two  divisions  of  the  ninth  corps;  and  Massena  was 
again  in  the  field  at  the  head  of  40,0(X)  infantry  and  4(MK.'  horse. 
To  this  force  tiie  allies  could  only  oppose  1500  horse  and  32,000 
infantry.  Wellington  was  no  sooner  apprized  of  tlie  early  and 
unexpected  concentration  of  so  formidable  a  French  armj',  than 
he  returned  rapidly  from  the  south,  and  reached  Villa  Formosa 
on  the  28th  of  April. 

The  relief  of  Almeida,  where  the  French  garrison  was  close- 
ly blockaded,  was  an  object  that  deserved  the  best  cflbrts  of 
Massena ;  for  it  was  the  sole  acquisition  of  his  long  and  disap- 
pointing campaign. 

Almeida  stands  on  the  right  bank  of  tlie  Coa :  the  banks  of 
that  river  are  mountainous  and  difficult,  and  the  points  of  pas- 
sage are  few.  There  is  a  bridge  at  Almeida,  another  at  Castel- 
lo-boim,  seven  miles  higher  up,  and  a  third  at  Sabugal,  near 
thirty  miles  above  the  fortress  of  Almeida.  The  bridge  at  Sa- 
bugal forms  the  great  military  communication  between  Ciudad 
Rodrigo  and  Guarda. 

Lord  Wellington  could  not  submit  to  see  Almeida  relieved ; 
and  as  soon  as  Massena  advanced,  he  resolved,  though  both  the 
ground  and  the  circumstances  were  unfavorable,  to  accept  the 
mvader's  challenge,  and  give  him  battle.  Wellington  had  not 
only  an  inferior  force,  but  a  jwrilous  position ;  he  had  to  fight 
with  the  Coa  in  the  rear,  and  to  provide  in  his  arrangement  for 
the  two  distant  points  of  Almeida  and  Sabugal. 


34  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

In  front  of  the  Coa  is  a  small  river,  which  also  runs  northerly, 
and  nearly  in  a  parallel  direction.  A  fair  village,  called  Fuen- 
tes  de  Honor,  is  situate  on  the  left  bank  of  this  small  stream, 
which  is  named  the  Duas  Casas.  The  ground  behind  the  Duas 
Casas  is  high  and  open.  This  table-land  was  selected  for  the 
field  of  battle.  The  divisions  of  generals  Spencer,  Picton,  and 
Houston,  were  collected  in  ix)sition  behind  Fuentes  de  Honor ; 
and  the  village  itself,  a  most  romantic  spot,  and  a  strong  military 
feature,  was  occupied  by  a  body  of  light  infantry,  under  the 
command  of  lieutenant-colonel  William  Williams.  In  the 
same  line,  with  these  divisions  upon  the  lefl,  at  some  little  in- 
terval, those  of  generals  Crawfurd  and  Campbell  were  drawn 
up  behind  the  village  of  Alameda,  at  which  place  there  is  a 
bridge  over  the  Duas  Casas.  General  Pack,  with  a  brigade, 
shut  in  the  garrison  of  Almeida  most  closely ;  and  the  great 
road  leading  to  it,  which  crosses  the  Duas  Casas  by  a  ford  under 
Fort  Conception  on  the  extreme  left,  was  guarded  by  the  di- 
vision of  Sir  William  Erskine.  The  guerrilla  horse  of  don  Julian 
Sanchez  were  posted  two  miles  beyond  the  British  right  in  ob- 
servation, at  the  village  of  Nava  de  Aver. 

Upon  the  3d  of  May  the  enemy  took  up  their  ground  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  Duas  Casas,  menacing  Almeida  with  their 
right,  and  Fuentes  de  Honor  with  their  left.  Towards  evening, 
under  cover  of  a  hot  cannonade  from  the  ridge  of  their  position, 
they  made  a  resolute  and  fierce  assault  upon  Fuentes  de  Honor. 
Colonel  Williams,  with  a  battalion  of  light  companies,  sustained 
this  attack  in  a  manner  worthy  of  liis  well-tried  zeal  and  of  his 
choice  command.  The  low  parts  of  the  village  were  defended 
for  a  while ;  but  the  French  guns  played  upon  them  with  such 
fury,  and  the  assailing  column  was  so  strong  and  violent,  that 
the  British  withdrew  to  the  upper,  and  confined  their  defence  to 
a  few  houses  and  a  chapel,  that  stood  upon  the  rocky  summit  of 
tlie  ravine  through  which  the  river  flows.  Here  the  struggle 
was  very  fierce,  and  could  not  Iiave  been  maintained  but  for  the 
opportune  support  of  a  brigade  sent  down  from  the  line  above. 
The  French,  in  like  manner,  fed  their  assailing  troops  with  rein- 
forcements ;  but  the  71st,  79th,  and  24th  regiments  fought  so 
stoutly,  that  they  won  back  every  foot  of  ground  which  had 
been  yielded  of  slieer  necessity,  and  drove  the  French  quite  out 
of  the  village,  and  across  the  river. 

During  this  angry  contest,  in  many  instances  the  French  and 
English  soldiers  met  in  the  main  street  of  the  village,  at  the 
very  bayonet's  point;  a  very  rare  occurrence.  Colonel  Wil- 
liams was  severely  wounded  in  this  honorable  affair.  The  light 
companies  were  withdrawn  after  sunset,  and  the  village  was 
held  through  the  night  in  quiet  by  the  regiments  already  named, 
under  tlie  command  of  Colonel  Cameron  of  the  79th.     Colonel 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  35 

Cadogan  of  the  71st  regiment,  who  never  omitted  any  possible 
occasion  of  standing  foremost  in  the  ranks  of  honor,  very  greatly 
distinguished  himself  when  he  led  up  the  first  support,  by 
which  the  light  battalion  was  succored. 

Massena,  foiled  in  this  effort  to  pierce  the  British  front,  passed 
the  next  day  in  reconnoissance,  and  lord  Welluigton  anticipated 
his  dispositions.  The  division  of  general  Houston  was  extended 
to  Nava  d'Aver,  and  with  its  right  supjwrted  don  Julian  San- 
chez; while  the  left  occupied  a  wood  and  a  village  called  Pozo 
Velho,  about  half-way  between  Nava  d'Aver  and  Fuentes.  It 
should  be  observed,  that  the  ravine  of  the  Duas  Casas  loses 
itself  above  the  village  of  Fuentes  in  easy  slopes,  and  disappears 
in  the  wood  of  Pozo  Velho.  On  the  morning  of  the  5th,  as 
early  as  three,  the  enemy's  columns  were  in  motion  to  their 
left;  and  the  entire  corps  of  Junot,  with  the  whole  of  the 
French  cavalry,  were  assembled  in  front  of  Pozo  Velho.  The 
light  division  under  general  Crawfurd,  the  cavalry,  and  a  troop 
of  horse-artillery,  were  sent  to  support  Houston  ;  and  the  divis- 
ions of  Picton  and  Spencer  were  moved  a  little  to  the  right 

About  six  o'clock,  a  heavy  body  of  French  infantry  attacked 
and  carried  the  village  of  Pozo  Velho,  from  wiiich  the  ailvanced 
brigade  of  general  Houston's  division  retired  in  good  order. 
The  French  cavalry,  under  general  Montbrun,  now  passed  Pozo 
Velho ;  and,  marching  against  the  hill  of  Nava  d'Aver,  drove 
away  don  Julian  Sanchez,  who  fell  back  at  once,  and  uncovered 
the  right  of  Houston's  division,  which  was  thus  turned.  The 
British  cavalry  moved  up  to  support  Houston's  foot,  but  the 
French  horse,  charging  upon  their  weak  squadrons  with  over- 
powering numbers,  forced  them  out  of  the  front,  and  they  took 
refuge  behind  the  light  division  of  infantry.  At  this  moment 
Wellington  executed  a  very  anxious  change  of  position; — 
abandoned  all  communication  with  the  bridge  of  Sabugal,  and 
took  up  a  new  line  at  rigiit  angles  with  his  original  formation. 
His  left  rested  still  upon  the  Duas  Casas,  and  Fuentes  was 
stoutly  held : — his  right  upon  a  lofty  knoll  near  Frenada,  on  the 
left  bank  of  another  small  stream,  which  runs  parallel  with  the 
Dua.s  Casas  between  it  and  the  Coa. 

To  execute  these  movements,  the  seventh  and  light  divisions 
had  to  retire  for  nearly  two  miles  in  the  face  of  a  formidable 
and  intrepid  cavalry.  So  rapid  and  bold  were  the  French  horse- 
men, that,  but  for  the  uncommon  steadiness  and  gallantry  of  the 
Cliasscurs  Britaimiques,  the  division  of  general  Houston  would 
not  have  gained  time  for  the  formation  of  their  squares. 

The  enemy  at  first  mistook  the  intention  of  Wellington;  and, 
viewing  this  movement  as  a  general  retreat,  prcpsetl  on  with  the 
confidence  of  victors.  They  hatl  at  one  period  actually  sur- 
rounded tlie  horse-artillery  of  captain  Ramsay ;  but  that  officer, 


36  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

trusting  to  his  fine  cattle  and  liis  brave  gunners,  broke  a  way 
through  their  astonished  squadrons,  and  brouglit  off  his  battery 
in  safety.  They  continued  to  follow  the  squares  of  the  light 
and  seventh  divisions  till  these  troops  were  again  in  line  of 
battle ;  and,  seizing  the  opportunity  offered  by  some  little  confu- 
sion, as  the  new  alignement  was  taken  up,  (owing  to  the  cavalry 
passing  througli  the  intervals,  and  a  regiment  of  the  Guards 
changmg  front,)  Montbrun  directed  a  general  charge ;  but  he 
was  met  by  so  heavy  a  fire  of  artillery,  and  such  close,  steady 
volleys  of  musketry,  that  he  hastily  drew  off,  leaving  the  ground 
covered  with  fallen  horses.  Afler  this  disaster,  no  other  attempt 
was  made  on  the  new  line  than  by  cannonade. 

While  all  tliese  things  Jiad  been  passing  on  the  British  right, 
the  village  of  Fuentes  de  Honor  was  the  scene  of  a  bloody  and 
incessant  struggle.  Colonel  Cameron  was  mortally  wounded 
early  in  the  combat ;  and  the  three  brave  regiments  posted  in 
the  village  were,  as  in  the  case  of  yesterday,  driven  from  the 
lower  parts  by  columns  of  overwhelming  strength,  and  at  one  , 
time  lost  the  chapel  also ;  but  it  was  recovered  by  the  brigade  of 
colonel  Mackinnon.  From  either  side  the  battle  in  P'uentes 
was  fed  with  strong  reinforcements ;  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
sixth  corps  of  the  French  army  was  engaged  in  these  assaults ; 
but  the  defenders,  though  outnumbered,  were  never  entirely 
driven  from  the  village.  Some  of  the  enemy  did,  at  one  time, 
penetrate  quite  through  it,  and  attempted  a  formation  beyond  ; 
but  they  were  immediately  attacked  and  driven  back  again  by 
the  88th,  74th,  and  83d  regiments,  and  confined  to  the  defence 
of  the  streets.  This  obstinate  fighting  continued  till  dark,  when 
the  French  recrossed  the  Duas  Casas,  leaving  the  lower  village 
to  the  silent  occupation  of  the  dead,  and  the  upper  buildings  and 
the  chapel  to  the  resolute  defenders. 

These  brave  men  were  now  relieved  by  a  brigade  of  the  light 
division.  A  renewal  of  the  struggle  was  looked  for  on  tlie  mor- 
row, and  lord  Wellington  tlirew  up  sonic  works  in  the  upper 
village,  and  upon  tlie  position  behind  it ;  but  they  were  never 
assailed.  The  enemy  remained  quiet  throughout  the  6th  and 
7th ;  upon  the  8th,  withdrew  from  their  ground ;  and  upon  the 
10th,  the  army  of  Portugal  was  again  upon  the  Spanish  bank 
of  the  Agueda.  Both  sides  laid  claim  to  the  victory ;  but  Mas- 
sena's  object  was  not  attained;  he  fought  to  relieve  Almeida, 
and  he  was  repulsed.  The  allies  lost  nearly  2000,  and  the  ene- 
my near  5000,  men  in  this  battle.  Massena,  foiled  in  his  efforts, 
sent  orders  to  Brennier,  the  governor  of  Almeida,  to  evacuate 
that  fortress,  thus  resigning  the  only  fruit  of  his  invasion,  and 
his  only  hold  on  the  country  of  Portugal.  These  orders  were 
conveyed  by  a  private  soldier,  who,  eluding  the  allied  posts,  with 
great  presence  of  mind,  reached  the  place  safely. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  8T 

Wellington,  thoroughly  prepared  for  some  such  enterprise  on 
the  part  or  Brennier,  made  such  clear  and  admkable  arrange- 
xnents  that,  had  they  been  attended  to,  the  French  garrieon  must 
inevitably  have  fallen  into  his  hands ;  but  a  delay  in  the  trans- 
mission of  his  orders  for  one  corps,  attributed  to  a  general  officer 
since  dead,  left  a  passage  of  the  Agueda  unoccupied.  Brennier, 
having  done  all  possible  injury  to  the  works  of  Almeida,  sallied 
from  it  in  the  night  of  the  10th;  opened  a  way  through  the 
piquets  witii  his  bayonets ;  and  pusliing  on  at  a  rapid  j)ace,  m 
silence  and  in  compact  order,  gained  the  Agueda  at  Barba  del 
Puerco,  and  passed  it,  with  the  loss  of  many  killed  and  wounded, 
and  about  300  taken,  but  he  carried  his  main  body  in  safety  to 
the  French  camp.  Lord  Wellington  now  detached  two  divisions 
to  the  Alemtejo,  to  reinforce  Beresford ;  and  learning,  upon  the 
16th,  that  Soult  was  in  motion  for  Estremadura,  he  hastened 
thither. 

After  the  failures  recorded,  Massena  resigned  the  command 
of  the  army  of  Portugal ;  and  was  succeeded  in  that  charge  by 
marshal  Marmont,  who,  having  recovered  the  garrison  of  Alme- 
ida, retired  to  Salamanca,  and  placed  his  troops,  for  a  short  re- 
pose, in  cantonments. 

As  soon  as  ever  the  Spanish  generals  in  Estremadura  gave 
their  assent  to  the  plan  of  lord  Wellington,  and  the  difficulties 
spoken  of  in  the  last  chapter  were  overcome,  the  bridge  commu- 
nications on  tlie  Guadiana  were  restored,  and  marshal  Bereeford 
invested  Badajos. 

Upon  tlie  4th  of  May,  at  early  dawn,  the  columns  of  tlie 
second  division,  under  general  William  Stewart,  crowned  all 
the  little  eminences  near  Badajos,  upon  the  left  bank  of  the 
river,  and  formed  a  regular  investment  of  the  place  on  that  side. 
Upon  the  8th,  general  Lumley  approached  Fort  Christoval,  ujwn 
the  right  bank  of  the  Guadiana ;  and  formally  shut  in  tlie  garrison 
with  a  brigade  of  general  Cole's  division,  a  Portuguese  battalion, 
and  some  troops  of  Portuguese  cavalry. 

U{)on  the  night  of  the  8tli  of  May,  ground  was  broken  against 
the  detached  works  of  Picurina  and  Pardaleras,  and  before  St 
Christoval.  The  ground  being  rocky,  tlie  work  could  not  pro- 
ceed fast  The  fire  of  the  garrison  was  incessant;  and  upon 
the  10th  they  made  a  vigorous  sally  on  the  side  of  Christoval, 
but  were  driven  back  by  the  besiegers.  Nevertheless,  tlie  ene- 
my were  pursued  with  so  little  discretion,  and  so  close  to  the 
walls,  that  tlie  allies  lost  4(X)  men,  killed  and  wounded,  witliout 
the  slightest  necessity  for  their  exposure.  A  battery  to  breach 
Christoval  opened  at  daylight  on  tJic  Uth;  but  in  a  few  hours 
it  was  silenced  by  the  heavy  and  well-directed  fire  of  tlic  place. 

The  real  attack  was  intended  to  be  made  against  tlic  castle ; 
and  utwn  the  lOtb  the  marshal  and  the  commanding  cmrinecr  had 

Vol.  II.  D 


38  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

resolved  upon  commencing  their  operations  on  that  point  A 
report  of  the  advance  of  Soult  induced  Beresford  to  wait  another 
day  before  he  broke  ground.  The  intelligence  from  the  front 
was  contradictory ;  and  it  was  doubted  whether  Soult  had  col- 
lected all  his  forces,  and  was  coming  forward  in  full  strength. 
Therefore,  Beresford  opened  his  trenches  before  the  castle  on  the 
12th.  As  soon  as  it  was  dark  the  work  began,  and  1400  men 
had  nearly  covered  themselves  by  midnight;  but  at  this  hour 
the  labor  was  suddenly  suspended.  The  men  were  withdrawn ; 
and  upon  the  instant  the  preparations  for  raising  the  siege  were 
commenced.  The  intention  of  Soult  was  no  longer  doubtful : 
he  was  in  full  march  to  relieve  the  place.  Upon  the  14th  the 
main  body  of  the  allies  moved  upon  Valverde ;  and  there  it  was 
concerted  between  Beresford  and  the  Spanish  generals  that  they 
should  unite  their  forces  at  Albuera,  and  offer  battle.  By  great 
and  admirable  exertions  the  siege  artillery  and  stores  were  safely 
passed  over  the  Guadiana  by  noon  on  the  15th,  and  the  flying 
bridge  was  drawn  ashore.  These  operations  were  covered  by 
the  fourth  division  and  a  corps  of  Spaniards.  Upon  tiie  15th  the 
rear-guard  drew  off":  the  garrison  made  a  sally,  and  Jiandled  a 
battalion  of  Portuguese  very  roughly  as  it  retired.  The  siege 
was  now  raised.  At  about  five  in  the  evening  of  the  15th  the 
allied  infantry  from  Valverde  reached  the  field  of  Albuera :  here 
they  found  their  cavalry  had  already  taken  post.,  and  the  advanced 
piquets  of  the  enemy  were  in  front. 

The  village  of  Albuera  is  a  street  of  mean  houses,  with  a 
church ;  situated  on  a  little  river,  from  whicli  it  is  named.  This 
village  is  traversed  by  the  high  road  leading  from  Seville  to  Bad- 
ajos ;  which,  about  two  hundred  yards  to  the  right,  crosses  the 
river  by  a  handsome  bridge  of  stone.  Immediately  to  the  left 
of  Albuera,  and  just  below  the  rough  and  rising  ground  on  which 
it  stands,  there  is  another  bridge,  of  unhewn  stone,  old,  narrow, 
and  incommodious.  The  river,  in  summer,  is  not  above  knee- 
deep.  Its  banks,  to  the  left  of  the  old  bridge,  and  directly  in 
front  of  the  village,  are  very  abrupt  and  difficult;  but  to  the 
right  of  the  main  bridge  the  passage  of  the  stream  is  easy  for  all 
arms. 

Upon  a  gentle  elevation,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  beyond 
the  Albuera,  is  one  of  those  extensive  open  woods  peculiar  to 
Spain.  The  wood,  immediately  beyond  the  Frencli  left,  liad  a 
bend,  and  approached  close  to  the  very  banks  of  the  stream,  at 
a  point  in  like  manner  beyond  tlie  riglit  of  the  allies.  A  rivulet, 
called  the  Feria,  flowed,  in  an  oblique  direction,  along  the  left 
flank  of  the  French,  and  joined  the  Albuera  in  front  of  their 
left  wing. 

The  wood  between  the  two  streams  was  not  occupied  by 
either  force  at  sunset  on  the  15th,    The  whole  of  the  space 


THB  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  39 

between  the  banks  of  the  Albuera  and  tlie  skirt  of  the  wood 
occupied  by  the  French  troops  is  open.  Ground  more  favorable 
to  a  general  preparing  an  attack  cannot  be  conceived.  This 
wood  efi'ectually  concealed  his  numbers  and  disposition ;  and  was, 
at  the  same  time,  so  open  and  unencumbered  witli  underwood, 
that  his  cavalry  might  march  through  it  in  columns  without 
trouble.  Here  marshal  Soult  had  collected  a  body  of  20,000  in- 
fentry  and  4000  horse,  with  fifty  guns. 

On  the  side  of  the  allies,  although  the  ground  rose  in  swelling 
eminences,  still  there  was  notliing  that  could  be  called  a  height; 
no  part  of  the  field,  upon  the  British  right,  up  which  horsemen 
and  guns  could  not  move  with  ease :  there  was  not  a  tree,  not  a 
ravine,  not  a  rock,  to  impede  their  movements. 

In  the  night  of  the  15th  the  Spanish  army  joined  the  British  ; 
and  early  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  general  Cole  brought 
up  tlie  fusileer  brigade,  and  one  of  Portuguese.  Thus  the  allies 
mustered  for  the  battle  29,000  men ;  but  of  these  only  2000  cav- 
alry of  all  nations,  with  thirty-eight  pieces  of  artillery.  Of  this 
force  only  7(M)0  of  the  foot  were  English.  Beresford  placed  the 
Spaniards  on  tlie  right,  in  two  lines :  their  left;  touched  a  road 
which  diverges  at  the  great  bridge  from  that  of  Seville  and  Bad- 
ajos  towards  Valverde.  Upon  tlie  eminence  above  the  main 
bridge  stood  the  second  division,  under  Sir  William  Stewart, 
with  its  left  upon  the  road  to  Badajos:  beyond  this  point  the 
Portuguese  division  of  general  Hamilton  was  drawn  uj),  on  tlie 
extreme  left,  having  its  front  strongly  covered  by  the  broken 
banks  of  the  Albuera.  The  village  was  occupied  by  two  battalions 
of  German  riflemen,  under  general  Alton.  General  Cole  formed, 
with  his  two  brigades,  a  second  line,  supporting  Stewart 

The  allied  cavalry  was  concentrated  in  rear  of  the  centre,  and 
placed  under  tlie  orders  of  general  Lumley,  who  was  expressly 
taken  from  the  command  of  his  infantry  brigade  for  tliat  purpose. 
About  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  tlie  16th  a  heavy 
column  of  French  infantry,  preceded  by  artillery,  flanked  by 
cavalry,  and  supported  by  a  reserve,  issued  from  the  wood  oppo- 
site Albuera.  They  directed  tiieir  march  towards  the  bridge, 
under  a  smart  cannonade,  to  which  tlie  guns  of  the  allies,  from 
the  eminence  above  the  village,  replied  ;  but  there  was  not  either 
rapidity  or  earnestness  enough  in  tliis  attack  to  deceive :  it  was 
soon  apparent  that  the  enemy's  main  effort  would  be  ujion  tlie 
right.  Accordingly,  an  order  was  sent  to  the  Spaniards  to  form 
front  to  their  right,  to  meet  the  attack  that  was  expected,  and 
was  soon  develofied. 

Blake,  surly  and  .self-opiniated,  would  not  execute  this  change 
of  front  till  tlie  jH'rw)nal  remonstrance  of  Bercsfonl,  and  the 
appearance  of  tlie  French  columns  on  tlie  riglit,  compelled  him. 

The  Spanish  troops  were  not  a  little  perplexed  between  tho 


40  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

various  commanders  who  directed  their  movements.  They  are 
ill  disciplined,  and  manoeuvre  with  great  slowness;  and  it  re- 
quired no  common  exertion  to  get  them  tbrmed  at  all  in  time  to 
meet  the  attack.  The  main  body  of  the  French  infantry,  witli 
the  great  mass  of  their  cavalry,  moving  far  upon  their  left,  was 
now  advancing  upon  the  right  of  the  allies,  in  columns  of  attack. 
The  order  of  battle  was  thus  already  changed.  All  the  move- 
ments were  originated  by  the  French  marshal,  and  Beresford 
had  to  oppose  manoeuvre  to  manoeuvre  ;  and  an  army,  various  in 
nation  and  in  disciplme,  to  legions  who  formed  and  moved  with 
precision  and  celerity  ;  the  grammar  of  whose  tactics  was  tlie 
same,  and  whose  confidence  in  the  science  of  their  leader  was 
the  firm  support  of  a  lofty  courage. 

The  soldier,  Beresford,  was  ready  and  able  for  any  fight,  how 
tliick  soever  might  be  its  perils  ;  but  the  responsible  commander 
was  startled  by  the  perplexities  of  his  most  difficult  situation. 

Tiie  resistance  of  the  Spanish  troops,  though  gallant,  was  short ; 
tliey  were  overpowered,  and  driven  from  their  post.  The  enemy 
was  now  formed  upon  a  vantage-ground ;  from  whence,  with  a 
numerous  artillery,  he  raked  the  whole  of  the  allied  position. 

In  this  posture  of  aflairs  it  became  necessary,  at  any  price,  to 
retake  the  hill  which  they  had  gained.  The  first  brigade  of  the 
division  of  Stewart  mo\ed  on  it  in  double  quick  time,  led  by  that 
general,  and  by  colonel  Colborne,  its  immediate  commanding' 
officer.  These  troops  were  precipitated  into  action  in  a  thick 
rain,  and  under  a  heavy  fire.  They  were  led  close  to  the  enemy, 
in  column,  before  they  deployed ;  and  tlie  corps  did  so,  in  suc- 
cession, and  hastily  advanced  at  once  upon  the  French  infantry. 
But  amid  this  obscurity  and  confusion,  a  body  of  Polish  lancers, 
and  some  squadrons  of  the  enemy's  hussars,  galloped  round  upon 
Uiese  exposed  battalions,  and  overthrew  them  with  great  slaugh- 
ter, driving  some  hundreds  before  them  into  the  French  lines, 
who  were  there  made  prisoners.  Of  the  regiments  composing 
tliis  brigade,  the  31st,  not  having  deployed,  was  the  only  one 
which  escaped  this  misfortune  :  with  this  Colborne  maintained 
himself,  till  Stewart  brought  up  the  brigade  of  general  Hough- 
ton, and  re-established  the  battle ;  being  speedily  supported  by 
tiie  British  artillery  under  major  Dickson. 

The  musketry  rolled  fierce  and  fearful :  cannon  thundered  in 
quick  discharges  from  the  French  batteries;  and  the  massive 
columns  of  their  infantry  stood  up  valiantly  against  volleys, 
which  forbade  them  to  deploy,  and  embarrassed  their  crowded 
ranks  with  the  dying  and  the  dead.  The  soldiers  of  Houghton's 
brigade  fought  like  men,  who  were  willing  to  be  destroyed,  but 
would  not  be  defeated. 

Houghton,  the  general,  fell  covered  with  wounds ;  colonel 
Puckworth  was  shot  dead :  all  the  field  officers,  and  the  greater 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  41 

part  of  all  the  otJier  officers,  were  slain  or  disabled,  and  not  a 
third  of  the  men  were  standing.  Their  heroism  was  not  vain. 
This  was  an  anxious  crisis  of  the  battle,  for  the  enemy  had  lodged 
a  column  of  their  left  well  forward  upon  the  very  brow  of  the 
position.  Marshal  Beresford  might  well  have  doubted  whether 
he  should  be  justified  in  continuing  a  battle  which  looked  hope- 
less, and  in  which  defeat,  with  his  Spanisli  allies  in  company, 
would  be  ruin.  At  this  important  moment,  general  Cole  led 
forward  a  British  brigade  against  the  enemy's  left.  This  move- 
ment was  suggested  by  colonel  Hardinge,  who  was  with  Cole  at 
the  time,  and  saw  from  that  point  the  strong  necessity.  The 
marshal  observed  this  gallant  and  well-timed  advance,  and  made 
immediate  dispositions  to  support  it.  It  was  under  desperate 
circumstances  that  tlie  fusileer  brigade,  under  Sir  William 
Myers,  and  the  remaining  brigade  of  Stewart's  division  under 
colonel  Abercrombie,  were  brought  hastily  into  action.  Already 
was  a  French  column  established  in  advance  upon  the  right  of 
Houghton's  weak  and  exhausted  brigade ;  already  had  the  allies 
lost  three  guns  by  a  charge  of  Polish  horse ;  when  general  Cole, 
witli  his  fusileers,  supported  by  Harvey's  Portuguese  brigade, 
and  a  battalion  of  the  Lusitanian  legion,  under  colonel  Hawks- 
hawe,  pressetl  forward  upon  the  right  of  Houghton's  diminished 
line,  won  back  the  cannon,  and  was  immediately  engaged  in  a 
combat,  not  differing  in  severity  or  sternness  from  that  which 
Houghton  had  sustained.  Ujwn  tlic  left  of  Houghton's  line, 
Abercrombie's  brigade  advanced  in  the  finest  and  firmest  order, 
at  the  same  moment  that  the  fusileers  were  re-establishing  the 
battle  on  its  right  The  French  columns  were  resolute,  and  tlie 
struggle  was  bloody  and  stubborn.  The  gallant  Myers  was 
slain  :  general  Cole,  and  all  his  staflT,  and  almost  all  tlie  field 
officers,  of  tlie  fusileers,  were  wounded ;  and  the  men  dropped 
fast:  for  all  this,  tlie  brigade  gained  groimd  foot  by  foot,  and 
made  it  good.  They  fought  for  victory  ;  to  the  heavy  fire  of  the 
frowning  masses  in  their  front,  fast  and  steady  were  tlieir  stern 
replies ;  till,  at  last,  the  hostile  columns,  confused  by  carnage, 
entangled  witli  each  otlier,  and  thoroughly  disheartened,  broke 
and  fled  away,  leaving  to  their  conquerors  a  field  covered  with 
pale  bodies  of  dead,  and  stained  witli  the  blood  of  many  tliousands 
of  their  bravest  soldiers. 

The  French  artillery  covered  the  confused  flight  of  tlieir 
broken  masses;  and  tJie  numerous  squadrons  of  their  horse, 
against  which,  tlic  allied  cavalry,  commanded  tliroughout  tlie  day 
witii  tlie  finest  judgment  by  Lumley,  could  attempt  notliing, 
gave  such  protection  to  the  fugitives,  that  none  but  the  woundol 
left  upon  the  ground  were  taken. 

There  was  a  sharp  contest  at  the  village  and  bridges  througlv- 
•ut  tlic  battle ;  uiul  tliis  jvart  uiis  skilfully  protected  by  tlio  Gc»- 


42  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

man  light  infantry,  under  general  Alten.  Here,  and  every- 
where, the  firing  soon  ceased.  The  discomfited  battalions  of 
tlie  enemy  filled  tlie  wood,  and  their  piquets  and  videttes  took 
post  as  in  the  morning. 

A  victory  was  won.  The  annals  of  time  have  not  recorded 
any  thing  more  heroic  than  the  conduct  of  the  two  British 
brigades,  led  by  Myers  and  Ilcugiitou,  upon  this  field. 

Each  of  these  brigades  lost  HiOO  men,  and  neither  of  them 
mustered  more  than  14C0  bayonets  when  they  marched  into 
the  battle.  Against  weighty  masses  they  fought  fearless  in  line : 
they  were  never  thrown  into  confusion ;  and  the  standards  of 
these  battalions  flying  all  nigh  to  each  other,  in  the  centre  of 
their  weakened  lines,  as  the  enemy  fled  from  their  front,  was  a 
sight  as  noble  as  a  field  of  victory  did  ever  show. 

The  entire  loss  of  the  allies  was  above  6000 ;  the  Spaniards 
losing  near  2000;  the  Portuguese  only4C0;  and  the  German 
light  infantry  120.  Thus,  out  of  7000  English  soldiers  engaged, 
3500  lay  upon  the  ground.  The  Spaniards  behaved  witli  admi- 
rable courage,  but  their  want  of  discipline,  and  very  especially 
their  unwieldiness  in  taking  ground  right  or  left,  was  severely 
felt  early  in  the  day.  The  French  lost  9500  men ;  they  carried 
off  with  them  a  few  hundred  prisoners,  taken  from  the  most 
advanced  regiment  of  the  first  brigade,  when  that  body  was 
hurried  on  precipitately  by  the  orders  of  the  brave  general 
Stewart,  and  they  took  four  colors  from  the  battalions  of  that 
brigade.  But  the  bodies  of  many  of  the  soldiers  (especially  of 
the  66th  regiment)  lay  pierced  by  lances  in  that  part  of  the 
field,  and  fixed  by  death,  in  the  frightful  postures  of  brave,  des- 
perate, and  imyielding  conflict  with  the  horsemen  above  them. 
In  the  evening  after  the  battle,  the  allies  were  reinforced  by  the 
British  brigade  of  General  Kemmis,  which,  being  employed  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Guadiana,  near  Christoval,  had  to  make 
the  long  detour  by  Jurumenha  before  it  could  join  its  division 
(the  4th)  upon  this  ground.  The  enemy  remained  in  tlieir  old 
position  till  the  18th,  when,  destroying  the  contents  of  their 
tumbrils  and  ammunition  wagons,  to  furnish  conveyance  for 
their  wounded,  they  leisurely  retired,  and  the  allies  slowly  pur- 
sued. On  the  19th,  Wellington  arrived  from  the  north  and  rode 
over  the  field  of  battle.  He  is  said  to  have  regretted  that  the 
battle  was  fought ;  and  that,  as  it  was,  the  precaution  of  strength- 
ening the  position  by  field-works  had  not  been  adopted,  as  a 
little  ground  thrown  up  on  the  naked  eminences  on  the  right 
would  have  done  a  great  deal  for  their  security. 

It  falls  not  within  the  limits  of  a  memoir  such  as  this,  to  offer 
observations  upon  the  battles  recorded.  The  responsibility  of  a 
■general  in  command  is  a  weighty  matter ;  and  military  talent  of 
ft  high  order  must  be  possessed  by  liim  who  professes  rigidly  t» 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  43 

examine  the  strategy  and  tlie  tactics  of  a  commander,  by  the 
precedents  ami  tlie  practice  of  warfare,  and  by  the  strict  rulea 
of  military  science.  An  examination  of  nine  kittles  out  of  ten, 
fouorht  by  the  ablest  men,  will  exhibit  many  and  compelled  de- 
partures from  rule ;  many  instances  where  ordinary  rules  could 
not  be  appliei ;  some  where  the  temptation  to  violate  them  was 
strong.  l)is(X)3ition3  are  often  pronounced  erroneous  or  otlier 
wise,  because  in  one  cose  a  toe  iixs  seized  upon  a  ]mrt  of  a  posi 
tion  and  displayed  its  value;  in  another,  he  has  assailed  a  part 
where  no  one  expected  him,  and  has  made  it  iiis  patli  to  victory. 
It  is  undeniably  true,  that  tlie  army  engaged  at  Albuera  was 
dissatisfied  with  marslial  Bercsford.  Even  in  the  days  of  their 
first  exultation  at  the  glory  of  their  achievements,  tliey  mur- 
mured loudly  at  tlie  loss  of  standards,  and  at  the  expenditure  of 
human  life.  Tiie  living  wall  of  many  a  regiment,  save  a  mourn- 
ful fragment,  had  been  beaten  down  entire,  and  lay  in  the  dust 
of  death.  Marshal  Beresford's  occupation  of  the  field  of  battle 
has  been  spoken  of  as  the  cause  of  all  his  disasters ;  but  it  is  by 
no  means  clear  tliat  if  the  Spaniards  had  been  posted  on  the  left, 
Soult  would  not  have  forced  the  village  and  bridge,  and  uncov- 
ered the  road  to  Badajos.  There  were  many  anxieties  on  the 
mind  of  the  marshal  in  this  terrible  battle ;  first,  his  own  vast 
responsibility;  next,  the  knowledge  tliat  he  was  weak  in  cavalry, 
and  ill  provided  with  guns ;  third,  a  mistrust  of  Spanish  troops. 
Thus,  in  the  most  desperate  crisis  of  tlie  battle,  though  awed  by 
apprehensions  for  the  safety  of  his  troops,  he  continued  the 
struggle,  and  a  memorable  triumph  was  the  result  From  the 
day  of  his  arrival  on  the  Guadiana  to  that  of  the  battle,  he  liad 
met  witii  many  crosses  and  vexations,  and  his  situation  had  been 
most  trying.  Jiord  Wellington  met  Bercsford  on  the  19th  at 
Albuera;  directed  him  to  tbllow  the  enemy  with  caution;  re- 
turned instantly  to  Elvas  himself;  and  caused  Badajos  to  be 
forthwith  investe<l  on  the  right  bank  by  tlie  two  divisions,  which 
had  arrived  in  Alemtejo  from  the  nortli.  Beresford  meanwhile 
advanced  and  occupied  Almendralejos.  Here  he  found  a  small 
hospital  of  French  wounded  left  to  his  protection ;  but  the  ene- 
my carried  to  Seville  all  those  whose  hurts  suffered  them  to 
march,  or  who  were  in  a  state  to  be  transported  with  safety,  and 
their  number  fell  little  short  of  41K)().  On  the  2otli  the  cavalry 
of  the  allies  under  Lumloy  came  upon  the  enemy's  horse  near 
Usagro.  The  general,  by  a  retrograde  movement  and  skilful 
disposition,  drew  forward  a  brigade  of  French  heavy  dragoons ; 
and  tlicn,  directing  Madden's  I'ortugiicse  to  .support  the  charge 
in  flank,  he  rode  hard  at  them  in  front  with  the  .'^1  and  4th  dra- 
goon guardH,  and  in  a  moment  overtlirow  tlicm.  They  dispersed 
in  confasion,  and  near  *2(M)  were  sjibrod  or  taken.  Abtjut  thi» 
time  general  lliJl,  who  had  always  commanded  tlio  detached 


44  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

corps,  returned  to  the  army ;  and,  to  the  joy  and  contentment  of 
the  troops,  resumed  that  post.  Beresford  went  back  into  Portu- 
gal to  the  important  charge  for  wliich  he  was  so  eminently 
qualified,  and  in  which  he  had  rendered  a  service  to  tlie  common 
cause  of  Europe  never  to  be  mentioned  without  respect.  Ad- 
mirable as  a  second  in  command,  skilful  to  organize  a  new-raised 
army,  a  good  aid  in  battle,  and  personally  intrepid,  tlie  marshal 
with  all  this  was  not  popular  ;  and  tlieretbre,  perhaps,  it  is  that 
the  censures  of  his  conduct  in  this  battle  have  been  so  constantly, 
and  with  so  little  abatement,  reiterated.  However,  despite  all 
censure,  his  name  will  go  down  to  posterity  associated  for  ever, 
and  that  too  in  the  relation  of  commander,  with  those  uncon- 
querable soldiers  who  upheld  the  fame  of  England  upon  the 
bloody  field  of  Albuera. 


CHAP.  V. 

SECOND    SIEGE  OF  BADAJOS. FRENCH  ARMIES  OF  THE   NORTH    AND   SOUTH 

UNITE  FOR    ITS  RELIEF. THE  ALLIES    RETIRE    INTO    rORTUOAL. LORD 

WELLINGTON  OFFERS  BATTLE  ON  THE  CAVA. FRENCH  ARMIES  SEPARATE. 

—WELLINGTON  MARCHES  TO  THE  AGUEDA. MENACES  CIUDAD  RODRIGO. 

MARMONT  AND  COUNT    DORSENNE  ADVANCE  TO  RELIEVE  IT. THE  AF- 
FAIR   OF    EL    BODON. FUENTE    G0INALDO. RETREAT    OF    MARMONT.— 

AFFAIRS  OF  ESTREMADURA. MOVEMENTS  OF  GENERAL    HILL. HE  SUR- 
PRISES AND  CAPTURE3  A  FRENCH  BRIGADE  AT  ARROYO  DE  MOLINOS. 

The  repulse  of  Massona  at  Fuentes  de  Honor,  and  the  dis- 
comfiture of  Soult  at  Albuera,  enabled  lord  Wellington  to  main- 
tain, for  a  short  time,  a  superiority  of  force  upon  the  Guadiana, 
and  to  make  a  second  attempt  upon  B;idajos.  But  it  was  clear 
tliat  Marmont,  who  now  commanded  the  army  of  Portugal, 
would  be  soon  again  in  motion ;  and  tliat  Soult  and  that  marshal 
would  make  early  and  earnest  efforts  to  save  to  the  Frencli  arms 
60  important  a  place  as  Badajos ;  tlierefore,  whatever  was  done 
against  that  fortress  must  be  rapidly  effected.  It  was  not  pos- 
sible, however,  to  recommence  the  siege  under  eleven  days. 
The  plan  of  the  former  attack  was  again  followed,  and  with  all 
the  means  that  Elvas  could  supply.  But  to  divide  the  attention 
of  the  place,  it  was  resolved,  that  the  attacks  of  Fort  Christoval 
and  of  the  castle  should  be  commenced  at  the  same  time.  A 
corps  of  investment  under  general  Hamilton,  had  again  sliut  in 
the  garrison  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Guadiana,  as  early  as  the 
19th  of  May.  Upon  the  25th,  major-general  Houstoun,  with 
the  seventh  division,  invested  Badajos  upon  the  right  bank  ;  and 
on  the  27th,  the  third  division,  under  general  Picton,  forded  the 
river  above  the  town,  and  joined  the  besieging  force  on  the  left 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  45 

bank.  The  working  parties  broke  ground  on  the  night  of  the 
30th.  That  before  the  castle  worked,  without  discovery  or  in- 
terruption, and  completed  their  parallel  by  break  of  day.  That 
before  Fort  Christoval  had  not  the  like  good  fortune.  Tiiey  had 
to  labor  on  a  rocky  soil,  from  the  surface  of  which,  since  the  last 
siege,  the  French  had  scraped  away  all  the  eartli,  and  many  of 
tijc  besiegers  were  killed  and  wounded  in  the  early  part  of  the 
night.  The  necessary  precaution  of  providing  the  workmen 
witli  stufled  gabions  for  their  defence,  had  not  been  omitted ;  but 
the  fire  from  the  garrison,  both  of  cannon  and  musketry,  was 
heavy  and  effective.  However,  by  perseverance  and  spirit,  the 
batteries  on  both  sides  of  the  river  were  completed  by  the  2d  of 
June,  and  at  daylight  upon  the  M  they  opened.  Before  evening 
the  outer  wall  of  the  castle  was  beaten  down,  and  a  very  un- 
welcome and  difficult  obstacle  to  the  speedy  forming  of  a  prac- 
ticabfe  breach  was  thus  discovered.  The  wall,  it  seems,  liad 
been  originally  built  against  a  natural  bank  of  clay,  and  this 
"  peeled  oft'  in  perpendicular  sections,"  under  the  fire,  and  re- 
mained a  scarp  almost  as  regular  as  the  wall  itself  Moreover, 
as  the  guns  in  battery  were  for  the  most  part  brass,  and  very 
soft,  the  fire  could  not  be  kept  up  with  sufficient  rapidity  and 
weight,  to  hasten  the  fall  of  ao  large  a  quantity  of  the  bank,  as 
might  form  a  good  ramp. 

The  breach  of  Fort  Christoval  was  examined  in  the  night  of 
the  5th  of  June,  and  reported  practicable :  it  was  assaulted  on 
that  following.  The  advance  descended  into  the  ditch  in  perfect 
order ;  but  they  found  tlmt,  between  night-fall  and  the  hour  of 
attack,  the  enemy  had  removed  the  rubbish  from  the  foot  of  the 
breach,  and  seven  feet  of  wall  stood  clear  before  them.  An  at- 
tempt was  now  made  to  force  in  by  escalade.  The  ladders  were 
applied  to  almost  every  face  and  flank  of  the  work,  and  tlie  effort 
was  perseveretl  in,  with  the  most  resolute  spirit,  under  showers 
of  shells,  hand-grenades,  stones,  &c.,  till  1()2  men,  out  of  180, 
fell,  and  the  remainder  of  the  stonning  party  retired. 

Upon  the  evening  of  the  9th  of  June,  the  breach  being  much 
widened,  and  again  consideretl  practicable,  it  was  again  stormed. 
Again  tlie  assault  failed.  Nothing  could  be  more  determined 
than  the  conduct  of  the  assailants.  The  various  means  of  de- 
fence prepared  at  the  breach  were  well  supjwrted  by  a  strong 
and  stcatly  garrison ;  the  face  of  the  breach  was  covered  witS 
rolling  shells;  combustibles  of  all  sorts  were  exploding  at  its 
foot ;  and  the  storming  party  could  not  force  its  way.  Tlio  es- 
calading  party  secured  almost  all  tlieir  ladders,  and  rapidly  as- 
cended them ;  but  not  a  man  coulil  crown  the  jxarapet.  All  who 
reached  it  were  bayoneted,  and  the  ladders  were  thrown  down. 
Others  wore  quick  to  rear  tJiem  again,  and  renew  tlie  attempt, 
but  they  shared  the  same  fate ;  and  hand-grenades  and  bags  o*^ 


46  THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON. 

powder,  were  thrown  down  upon  them  without  intermission. 
Of  two  detachments,  each  100  strong,  140  were  killed  and 
wounded ;  and  the  survivors,  disappointed  and  reluctant,  were 
ordered  to  retire.  It  was  now  evident  that  Christoval  could  not 
be  taken  without  regularly  advancing  to  the  crest  of  the  glacis ; 
and,  till  Christoval  had  fallen,  the  breach  at  the  castle  could  not 
be  stormed,  even  when  the  difficulties  of  making  it  practicable 
should  be  overcome. 

On  the  10th  of  June,  lord  Wellington  decided  to  raise  the 
siege.  This  was  effected  in  good  order  on  the  night  of  the  11th. 
The  loss  of  the  besiegers  amounted  to  500  killed  and  wounded, 
in  all,  from  the  commencement. 

This  attempt  on  Badajos  was  rather  a  venture  upon  fortune, 
than  any  justified  expectation  of  success.  Wellington  had  nei- 
ther good  nor  sufficient  means ;  nor  had  he  time  for  regular  and 
certain  operations.  Marmont  and  Soult  were  rapidly  approach- 
ing when  the  siege  was  raised. 

The  British  divisions  lefl  in  the  north  of  Portugal,  under  the 
command  of  Sir  Brent  Spencer,  were  led  south  by  that  officer, 
under  instructions  from  Wellington,  as  soon  as  ever  Marmont 
put  himself  in  motion  for  the  Tagus.  When  the  French  mar- 
shal crossed  that  river,  Spencer  passed  into  the  Alemtejo,  and 
marched  to  the  Guadiana.  Soult,  meanwhile,  having  collected 
all  the  troops  which  could  possibly  be  spared  from  Andalusia, 
and  being  reinforced  by  8000  men,  under  Drouet,  from  Toledo, 
advanced  to  Merida  on  the  18th,  and  established  his  communica- 
tions with  Marmont. 

The  corps  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill  retired  from  Almandralejos  on 
the  very  day  on  which  the  siege  of  Badajos  was  raised ;  and 
bivouacked,  upon  the  14th  and  15th,  in  the  position  of  Albuera. 
Here  Wellington  had  taken  post,  to  cover  Badajos ;  and  here, 
had  Soult  ventured  to  advance,  without  awaiting  the  junction  of 
Marmont,  he  would  have  been  received  and  checked. 

Upon  the  IGth,  a  division  of  Spaniards,  under  Blake,  was  de- 
tached along  the  right  bank  of  the  Guadiana,  with  instructions 
to  cross  the  river,  enter  the  country  of  Niebla,  and  alarm  Soult 
for  those  posts,  the  garrisons  of  which  he  had  so  much  weakened 
for  his  present  effort.  Upon  the  17th,  the  intentions  of  Marmont 
and  Soult  being  evident,  their  junction  easy,  and  not  to  be  pre- 
vented, lord  Wellington  withdrew  his  people  by  the  fords  of  the 
Guadiana,  and  fixed  his  head-quarters  at  Elvas.  Upon  the  19th, 
the  French  advanced  guards  entered  Badajos.  On  the  same 
day,  the  allies  were  placed  in  position  upon  the  banks  of  the 
Caya ;  and  were  joined,  on  the  20th,  by  the  nortliern  army, 
under  Spencer. 

The  combined  force,  under  Marmont  and  Soult,  mustered 
62,000  inl^intry  and  8000  horse ;  while  that  of  Wellington  did 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  47 

not  exceed  56,000  men,  including  his  cavalry ;  in  which  arm  lie 
was  so  deficient  that  he  could  only  collect  3500  horsemen,  Brit- 
ish and  Portuguese.  It  was  a  severe  trial  to  lord  Wellington  to 
be  constantly  cramped  in  his  efforts  by  the  want  of  cavalry ;  for, 
with  a  superior  cavalry,  no  general  can  ever  be  fully  beaten  ; 
and,  without  it,  he  can  never  so  follow  up  a  victory  as  to  make 
considerable  captures,  and  obtain  large  successes.  Nevertheless, 
having  a  favorable  and  improvable  jxisition  on  the  Caya,  he  re- 
solved to  fight  a  battle  upon  tlie  frontier  ;  and  made  immediate 
preparations  for  tlie  expected  struggle,  by  strengthening  with 
field-works  and  batteries  the  position  he  had  selected.  Head- 
quarters were  established  at  Vicente  as  early  as  the  19th ;  and 
the  troops  were  placed  in  bivouac  in  the  woods  and  among  the 
gardens  near  the  Caya.  Disposed  of  in  Campo  Mayor  and  other 
cantonments,  or  in  camps,  from  whence  they  could  be  most 
readily  assembled  for  battle,  lay  abnost  all  the  divisions  of  the 
allied  army.  Sir  Rowland  Hill  was  on  the  right,  at  Torre  de 
More ;  Picton  on  the  left,  behind  Campo  Mayor :  Spencer  was 
in  reserve. 

Upon  the  22d  of  June,  Soult  and  Marmont  made  a  close  recon- 
noissance,  on  tlie  side  of  Campo  Mayor,  with  a  very  large  body 
of  horse,  and  some  batteries  of  light  artillery.  The  allies  were 
immediately  collected  in  rear  of  the  position  in  heavy  masses, 
and  lay  upon  their  arms  waiting  for  tlie  battle.  The  French 
marshals,  however,  could  not  induce  their  opponent  to  show  them 
his  dispositions ;  and  after  halting  till  evening  within  two  gun- 
shots of  the  position,  they  withdrew.  On  the  same  day,  another 
body  of  French  cavalry  passed  the  Guadiana  in  reconnoissance, 
and  moved  upon  Elvas.  A  piquet  of  the  11th  light  dragoons, 
recently  arrived  from  England,  mistook  these  horsemen,  for  Por- 
tuguese ;  and,  before  they  were  aware  of  their  error,  the  French 
rode  past  them  in  strength,  and  the  picjuet  was  taken. 

An  action  was  generally  expected  on  the  23d,  and  great  e& 
forts  were  made  through  the  night  to  prepare  and  strengthen 
the  position.  Tlie  enemy,  however,  did  not  risk  an  engage- 
ment Nevertheless,  from  the  22d  to  the  26th,  workiug  parties 
were  regularly  employed;  and  what  at  first  were  mere  em- 
placements for  guns,  were  at  last  converted  into  strong  redoubts. 
Soult  and  Marmont  remained  together  in  Estremadura  for 
nearly  a  month  longer,  commanding  the  Spanish  plain  with 
their  numerous  squadrons,  and  eating  up  all  the  supplies  that 
province  could  furnish ;  after  which,  they  separated  witliout  at- 
tempting any  tiling  against  the  allies.  Soult  retiretl  upon  Se- 
ville ;  and  Marmont  returned  nortli,  crossing  the  Tagus  on  the 
23d  of  July.  Wellington  niove<l  again,  by  correspondine 
marches,  to  the  north-eastern  frontier  of  Beira ;  and  his  head- 
quarters, by  the  10th  of  Augiist,  were  establislied  at  Fucnte 


48  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

Guinaldo.  Hill,  with  his  old  command  of  14,000  men,  was  left 
in  the  Alemtejo.  With  this  exception,  the  whole  of  the  allies 
were  again  cantoned  upon  the  line  of  the  Agueda,  under  Wel- 
lington. Between  the  19  th  of  July  and  the  end  of  September, 
more  than  50,000  men  were  sent  from  France,  to  reinforce  the 
armies  in  Spain.  These  were,  for  the  most  part,  veteran  troops, 
and  included  9000  cavalry  familiar  with  war.  Four  divisions 
of  these  reinforcements  crossed  the  Ebro,  and  joined  Marmont: 
a  considerable  body  also  marched  through  Biscay  to  the  army  of 
the  north.  This  acted  as  an  independent  corps,  under  the  orders 
of  count  Dorsenne,  overawed  the  Asturias,  and  held  Gallicia  in 
check.  But  although  the  command  of  count  Dorsenne  and  mar- 
shal Marmont  were  independent  of  each  other,  tliey  were  in- 
structed to  concert  operations,  and  to  combine  their  forces  when- 
ever an  opportunity  should  offer  for  striking  a  blow  at  tlie  Brit- 
ish army.  Marmont  did  not  remain  long  at  Salamanca  and  its 
neighborhood  ;  but,  leaving  a  weak  garrison  in  that  city,  march- 
ed into  the  valley  of  the  Tagus.  Meanwhile,  Dorsenne  ad- 
vanced in  force  upon  Astorga,  and  compelled  the  Spanish  army 
of  Gallicia  to  seek  refuge  in  the  strong  defile  of  Villa  Franca. 
These  movements,  and  the  leaving  Salamanca  defenceless,  were 
designed  to  lure  Wellington  to  advance  to  that  city ;  but  they 
failed  to  move  him.  The  recovery  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo  was  his 
sole,  undivided  object.  Immediately  after  raising  the  siege  of 
Badajos,  lie  had  sent  his  battering  train  and  stores  from  the 
Tagus  to  the  Douro ;  and  he  watched  Rodrigo  with  close  and 
jealous  attention.  This  fortress  was  situated  four  marches  from 
the  ordinary  cantonments  of  the  French  at  Salamanca ;  nor  did 
the  intermediate  country  admit  of  their  being  cantoned  nearer : 
neither  could  it  subsist  a  large  force  in  the  field  for  any  length 
of  time.  Thus  the  French  garrison  of  Rodrigo,  with  a  hostile 
country  around  them,  could  only  be  fed  by  convoys  from  the 
army  of  Portugal ;  and,  wjiile  the  allies  lay  upon  the  frontier, 
these  convoys  would  require  an  army  for  their  escort.  This 
state  of  things  was  vexatious  and  embarrassing  to  the  French. 
They  dare  not  detach  and  employ  forces  on  distant  services,  for 
fear  Ciudad  should  be  suddenly  besieged ;  and  if  they  would  not 
lose  it  by  blockade,  they  must  soon  revictual  it.  For  this  ob- 
ject they  collected,  from  the  valley  of  the  Tagus,  from  the  north, 
and  from  Navarre,  every  battalion  and  squadron  that  could  be 
mustered  for  the  field. 

Upon  the  22d  of  September,  Marmont,  count  Dorsenne,  and 
Souham  had  united  their  forces ;  and  the  French  head-quarters 
were  at  Tamames.  This  formidable  army  amounted  to  60,000 
combatants,  of  whom  6000  were  cavalry.  Tlie  allies  could  only 
oppose  to  this  host  a  body  of  40,000  men ;  and  of  these,  including 
the  Portuguese,  not  4000  horse.     Therefore  Wellington  with- 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  49 

drew  all  his  detachments  from  the  plain  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo. 
Upon  the  24th,  an  immense  convoy  was  seen  defiling  into  tlie 
city,  wliile  the  enemy  covered  all  the  country  around  with  their 
numerous  columns. 

The  allies  were  now  so  distributed  that  their  advanced  corps 
closely  observed  the  enemy ;  while  a  defensive  position  had  been 
prepared  at  Fuente  Guinaldo,  in  which  they  might,  if  pressed, 
be  securely  collected  by  the  enemy.  The  right  of  the  army 
was  near  Martiago,  and  leaned  upon  those  mountains  which  are 
upon  the  right  Ixink  of  tlie  Agueda,  and  divide  Castile  and  Es- 
tremadura.  The  left  of  the  anny  was  on  the  lower  Azava ;  the 
cavalry  was  upon  the  upper  Azava.  One  division  in  rear  of 
the  right  observed  the  road  leading  from  Perales;  one  remained 
at  Guinaldo;  and  one,  the  third,  was  posted  well  in  advance 
upon  tlie  heights  of  El  Bodon.  The  Spaniards  of  don  Julian 
and  Carlos  d'l'ispafia  watched  the  lower  Agueda. 

Upon  the  morning  of  the  2oth  of  September,  tlie  French  ad- 
vanced upon  the  position  of  El  Bodon  with  thirty  squadrons  of 
horse,  and  a  heavy  column  of  infantry.  The  heights  occupied 
by  the  third  division  were  naked,  and  of  great  extent;  the 
brigades  were  distant  from  each  othpr,  and  did  but  thinly  cover 
them.  . 

To  tlie  left,  and  in  advance  of  El  Bodon,  lord  Wellington 
posted  the  5th  and  77th  regiments — two  weak  battalions,  mus- 
tering between  them  about  700  bayonets.  The  height  on 
which  they  were  drawn  up  commanded  the  road  from  Ciudad 
Rodrigo  to  Guinaldo,  by  which  the  enemy  were  advancing. 
Upon  the  crown  of  it,  in  front  of  the  two  battalions,  was  a 
brigade  of  Portuguese  artillery,  supported  by  a  few  troops  of 
tlie  1st  German  hussars,  and  the  11th  light  dragoons. 

Tliore  was  a  ravine  in  front  of  this  Portuguese  battery  within 
point-blank  distance :  the  ground,  both  on  the  heights,  and  on 
the  face  of  the  ascent,  was  nevertheless  perfectly  practicable 
for  horse,  though  it  was  rough  and  rocky.  Confident  in  their 
numbers, '  their  courage,  and  their  kindled  zeal,  Montbrun  led 
iward  his  cavalry  in  hot  and  eager  mood,  and  came  upon  the 
;  Msition  long  before  the  French  infantry  could  reach  it  lie  im- 
mediately sent  ten  s<iuadrons  against  the  guns.  They  spurred 
across  tlie  ravine,  and  pressing  fiercely  up,  imder  a  heavy  and 
destructive  firo  of  grape  and  canister  poured  upon  them  to  the 
latest  moment  by  tiie  Portuguoso  gunners  under  Arentschild, 
they  took  tlie  battery,  and  cut  down  the  Portuguese  at  tlieir 
guns.  But  these  victorious  squadrons  were  now  to  see  a  new 
Uiing.  A  weak  battalion  of  infantry  came  steadily  up  against 
them  in  line,  firing  as  they  advnnced ;  and  when  close,  charged 
bayonets,  retook  the  guns,  and  drove  Uicm  fairly  off,  pursuing 
them  with  a  volley  as  they  fled. 

Voi.  ir.  E 


50  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

The  British  regiment  thus  distinguished  was  the  5th,  under 
major  Ridge  ;  and  the  honor  of  the  TTth  regiment,  commanded 
by  colonel  Bromhead,  will  be  for  ever  associated  with  that  of 
the  5th,  and  with  the  memory  of  that  remarkable  day.  For 
these  two  corps,  taking  with  them  the  guns,  retired  across  the 
open  plain  in  presence  of  all  the  French  cavalry,  supported  by 
horse-artillery.  Montbrun  rode  furiously  upon  them ;  but  vain 
were  the  haughty  efforts,  though  again  and  again  repeated.  In 
silent  and  steady  square,  the  British  soldiers  received  and  repuls- 
ed these  fierce  charges :  the  gallant  horsemen  of  France  falling 
on  three  sides  of  their  square,  at  the  very  bayonet's  point.  As 
each  repulse  was  given  the  march  was  resumed,  and  they  re- 
tired with  perfect  regularity.  Having  effected  tlieir  junction 
with  the  83d  British,  and  the  9th  and  21st  Portuguese,  the  re- 
treat was  continued  under  the  command  of  general  Colville,  in 
the  finest  order ;  the  Portuguese,  especially  the  21st,  distin- 
guishmg  themselves  greatly.  The  great  mass  of  the  French 
dragoons*  still  covered  the  plain,  and  accompanied  their  move- 
ments, every  moment  menacing  an  attack.  But  the  gallantry 
and  steadiness  of  the  allies  enabled  them  to  effect  their  object 
with  little  loss,  save  from  the  French  artillery.  The  right 
brigade  of  the  third  division,  composed  vof  the  45th,  74th,  and 
88th,  had  a  more  protected  line  of  retreat ;  much  of  their  road 
lying  at  first  among  vineyards,  and  across  broken  ground :  but 
as  soon  as  it  cleared  these  covers,  it  came  out  upon  a  wide  open 
flat,  and  had  to  march  six  miles,  accompanied  the  whole  way  by 
the  enemy's  cavalry,  and  losmg  many  men  by  the  fire  of  the 
French  guns. 

General  Picton  conducted  his  division  upon  this  trying  day 
with  the  stem  and  cool  courage,  which  can  alone,  under  such 
circumstances,  inspire  confidence  and  insure  safety.  The  few 
squadrons  of  the  allied  horse  in  the  field  did  whatever  could  be 
done  in  the  way  of  countenance  and  check  during  such  oppor- 
tunities as  were  afforded  them.  In  the  presence  of  such  a  mass 
of  cavalry,  this,  of  course,  was  little.  But  the  16th  British 
light  dragoons  was  greatly  distinguished  in  a  gallant  and  suc- 
cessful cliarge  on  the  famous  lancers  of  the  imperial  guard. 

When  the  division  of  Picton  reached  the  position  of  Guinaldo 
it  was  halted,  and  the  enemy  took  up  ground  in  front.  This 
position  was  on  a  lofty  ridge.    The  Agueda  flowed  immediately 

*  Lord  Wellington  was  very  near  taken,  during  the  operations  of  this  day, 
from  the  perplexing  resemblance  of  the  English  and  French  cavalry— in  dress. 
He  was  always  exceedingly  averse  to  the  changes  which  had  been  adopted  at 
home  in  the  uniform  of  the  British  cavalry,  and  to  the  broad-topped  caps, 
"At  a  distance,  colors,"  he  would  observe,  "are  nothing;  the  profile  and 
shape  of  cap,  and  general  appearance,  guide  the  eye.  And  it  is  a  great  ad- 
vantage to  those  who  look  at  long  lines  of  posts  opposed  to  each  other,  that 
there  should  be  a  marked  diflerence  in  their  appearance." 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  61 

past  the  right :  the  left  was  about  three  miles  from  the  right, 
and  was  bounded  by  the  extremity  of  the  ridge,  which  there 
terminated  abruptly :  below  was  a  spacious  plain.  Only  two  di- 
visions occupied  this  position — those  of  Picton  and  Cole.  The 
tcmjKJrary  object,  for  which  it  had  been  retrenched,  was  attained. 
The  whole  of  the  French  army  had  been  brought  forward  and 
shown,  and  was  in  front  Lord  Wellington  now  issued  orders 
for  the  troops  to  retire  furtlier  to  a  battle  position  of  great 
strength,  already  selected  upon  the  Coa.  But  this  intention  was 
frustrated  by  a  sudden  and  not  a  slight  embarrassment.  General 
Crawfurd  did  not  receive  his  orders  in  time ;  and  misapprehend- 
ing both  the  movements  and  disposition  of  the  enemy,  he  thought 
it  hazardous  to  ford  tiie  Agueda  at  Robleda,  and  decided  to  join 
lord  Wellington  by  a  circuitous  march  across  tiie  mountains. 
Now  Perales  and  Gata  were  occupied  by  French  troops,  of 
which  Crawfurd  was  ignorant.  Therefore  orders  were  imme- 
diately dispatched  to  him,  to  retrace  his  steps  and  march  by 
Robleda.  By  this  circumstance  lord  Wellington  was  conijielled 
to  remain  in  an  indifferent  position,  where  only  two  divisions 
could  be  allowed  for  the  front :  for  it  was  necessary  to  provide 
a  large  force  in  rear  of  the  left  flank  on  the  plain,  lest  tlie  enemy 
should  march  by  that  flank  on  the  rear  of  his  position :  and  it 
was  necessary  to  place  a  division  in  observation  u)X)n  the  Ague- 
da  higher  up  than  Guinaldo,  lest  the  enemy  should  penetrate  by 
the  pass  of  Perales,  and  so  turn  his  right.  Pre-eminently 
furnished  is  the  illustrious  subject  of  this  brief  and  meagre 
memoir,  with  the  firm  resolve  and  the  moral  courage  necessary 
in  such  an  anxious  and  perilous  position. 

Ujjon  the  morning  of  the  26th,  Marmont  assembled  35,000 
infantry,  including  twenty-tv.o  battalions  of  tlie  imperial  guard, 
and  his  numerous  and  superb  cavalry,  directly  in  front  of  the 
position. 

Lonl  Wellington  formed  his  two  weak  divisions  for  battle, 
and  undauntedly  looked  on  while  the  French  general,  prepara- 
tory as  it  was  thought  to  an  attack,  very  leisurely  reviewed  his 
splendid  host,  at  the  distance  of  a  gun-shot  Meanwhile,  the 
English  soldiers  piled  their  arms,  and  lord  Wellington  sat  cool 
and  (juiet  on  the  ground. 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  a  SiMinish  general,  remarkable  for 
his  zeal  and  gallantry,  and  a  great  favorite  of  Wellington's, 
observed  to  him, — "  Why,  here  you  are  with  a  couple  of  weak 
divisions  in  front  of  the  whole  French  army,  and  you  seem  quite 
at  your  ease ; — why,  it  is  enough  to  put  any  man  in  a  fever." — 
"  I  have  done,  according  to  the  very  best  of  my  judgment,  all 
that  can  be  done,"  said  Wellington ;  "  therefore  I  care  not  either 
for  the  enemy  in  front,  or  for  any  thing  which  they  may  say  at 
home."    Here  was  the  golden  secret  of  his  calm  unalterable 


52  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

demeanor.  Duties  were  his,  and  he  did  them.  Events  were 
not  his,  and  to  the  great  Disposer  of  all  he  left  them.  It  was  no 
fault  of  his  that  he  was  thus  dangerously  exposed.  He  could 
not  and  would  not  abandon  his  liglit  division,  without  such  a 
struggle  as  might  and  must  have  ensued,  had  the  French  attack- 
ed. But  Marmont,  who  was  remarkably  fond  of  iiandling  troops, 
and  handled  them  well, — passed  several  hours  in  display  and 
manoeuvre.  During  the  time  thus  lost,  the  light  division  was 
in  full  march,  crossed  the  Agueda,  and  joined  the  army.  At 
night  Wellington  withdrew  the  troops,  and  marched  upon  Al- 
fayates.  Before  sunset  on  the  26th,  the  infantry  of  Marmont 
were  augmented  to  60,000,  and  he  had  120  pieces  of  artillery 
on  the  field.  On  the  27tii,  two  of  the  French  columns  foUowal 
the  allies,  and  attacked  their  rear-guard  at  Aklea  de  Ponte. 
TJiey  twice  carried  tlie  village,  and  were  twice  driven  out  of  it 
again  by  the  division  of  general  Cole.  The  same  night  the 
allies  entered  the  selected  position  on  the  Coa,  near  Sabugal ; 
and,  on  the  morrow,  Wellington  offered  battle  to  his  opponent. 
At  the  point  chosen,  the  Coa  makes  so  favorable  a  curve  tliat 
both  flanks  of  the  allies  were  effectually  protected.  Marmont 
declined  the  challenge,  and  retired.  Count  Dorsenne  returned 
to  the  north ;  the  army  of  Portugal  moved,  a  part  to  Salamanca, 
and  a  part,  by  the  Puerto  de  Banos  to  the  valley  of  the  Tagus. 
The  allies  were  now  put  into  good  cantonments,  being  distributed 
far  to  the  rear ;  and  head-quarters  were  fixed,  for  a  season,  at 
Frenada. 

While  these  movements  were  passing  in  the  north,  the  force 
imder  general  Hill  was  covering  the  Alemtejo.  That  officer, 
disposing  liis  troops  in  convenient  quarters  in  front  and  around, 
remained  with  a  strong  reserve  at  Portalegre.  By  means  of  his 
own  advanced  troops,  and  by  the  officers,  constantly  on  the 
reconnoissance,  he  kept  a  strict  eye  not  only  on  the  garrison  of 
Badajos,  but  on  the  whole  province  of  Estremadura ;  and  no 
assembly  or  march  of  the  enemy  escaped  his  vigilance. 

Supported  by  tlie  vicinity  of  Hill's  corps,  Castaiios  had  estab- 
lished himself  at  Caceres  with  the  wreck  of  the  Estremadurau 
army,  and  was  endeavoring  to  recruit  his  weak  battalions  and 
organize  them  anew.  To  disturb  this  arrangement  Soult  sent  a 
division  of  infantry  and  a  numerous  detachment  of  horse,  under 
general  Girard,  with  orders  to  scour  the  province  in  every  direc- 
tion, to  drive  away  all  levies  he  might  hear  of,  to  seize  upon  all 
supplies,  and  to  intimidate  the  peasants.  Girard  crossed  the 
Guadiana  at  Merida,  in  pursuance  of  these  instructions,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  insult  and  forage  the  northern  district  of  Estremadura 
at  his  ease.  The  Spaniards  retired  or  dispersed  wherever  he 
came ;  and  he  reckoned  not  upon  any  serious  interruption  from 
the  allies,  whose  plan  was  apparently  limited,  for  a  season,  to 


THE  DtTKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  53 

the  defence  of  the  Alemtejo.    But  Hill  had  no  sooner  reported  the 

f>resence  of  this  movable  column  in  Spanish  Estremadura,  than 
ord  Wellington  directed  him  to  advance  and  drive  it  away. 
Upon  the  22d  of  October,  the  general  assembled  a  considerable 
part  of  the  force  under  his  orders  at  the  village  of  Codiceira,  on 
the  frontier ;  and  the  next  morning  he  marched  forwards  upon 
this  duty.  As  soon  as  general  Hill  reached  Albuquerque,  and 
learned  with  wfiat  security  and  carelessness  his  enemy  was 
moving,  he  resolved  by  all  possible  efforts  to  overtake  him.  On 
the  25th,  the  Sjjaniesh  horse  under  the  conde  de  Penne  Villemur, 
came  up  with  tiie  French  cavalry  at  Arroyo  del  Puerco.  The 
enemy  immediately  fell  back  upon  Malpartida,  and  retired  from 
that  place  the  saine  night.  Hill  reached  Malpartida  at  daylight 
on  the  26tli,  ascertained  that  Girard  had  quitted  Caceres,  and 
halted  his  troops  till  he  obtained  correct  information  of  the  route 
which  the  enemy  had  taken.  It  was  no  sooner  found  that  Girard 
had  marched  on  Torre  Mocha,  than  the  general  moved  the  allies 
by  the  shorter  route  of  Aldea  del  Cano  and  Casa  de  S.  Antonio ; 
but  Girard  moved  from  Torre  Mocha  to  Arroyo  de  Molinos  in 
the  morning  of  the  27th,  and  posted  his  rear-guard  at  Albala. 

This  information  reaclied  general  Hill  upon  the  line  of  march. 
He  had  brought  his  columns  from  Malpartida  that  morning;  he 
led  them,  by  a  forced  march,  that  same  evening,  to  Alcuesca, 
within  four  miles  of  Arroyo.  Satisfied  that  the  enemy  was  igno- 
rant of  his  vicinity,  and  had  no  suspicion  of  danger,  the  general 
made  such  dispositions  for  the  morning  as  would  bring  Girard  to 
action,  and  with  all  the  suddenness  of  a  surprise.  To  favor  this 
design,  tlie  allies  lay  upon  their  arms  all  night,  without  fires. 
At  two  in  the  morning,  the  columns  were  again  put  in  motion, 
and  defiled  silently,  by  a  narrow  and  bad  road,  upon  Arroyo. 
The  division  did  not  clear  the  defile  till  half  past  six  o'clock.  It 
was  halted  about  half  a  mile  frorn  the  town,  and  formed  in  col- 
umns of  attack,  under  cover  of  a  rising  ground  which  effectually 
concealed  them.  Hero  the  most  clear  and  distinct  instructions 
being  quietly  delivered  to  the  leaders  of  columns  in  the  general's 
presence,  he  immediately  gave  the  signal  to  advance.  The 
three  columns,  under  favor  of  rain  and  mist,  diverged  from  this 
point  of  formation  to  tlie  concerted  attack.  The  first  brigade 
moved  directly  upon  tlie  town  :  this  column  was  led  by  lieuten- 
ant-colonel Stewart.  The  second  brigade,  followed  by  one  of 
Portuguese,  made  a  rapid  circuitous  march  to  the  rigfit  of  Ar- 
royo, to  intercept  the  enemy's  retreat  on  the  rond  to  Mcdellin  : 
major-general  Howard  commanded  tifis  column;  colonel  Wilson 
leading  with  the  British,  and  colonel  Ashworth,  with  his  Portu- 
guese, supporting  them.  The  Spanish  horse  and  the  cavalry  of 
the  allies  moved  in  the  centre,  between  tlie  two  columns  of 
attack,  ready  to  act  as  occasion  might  require. 
E2 


64  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

The  enemy  was  already  forming  upon  the  road  to  Medellin  in 
rear  of  Arroyo,  preparatory  to  his  march,  when  the  first  brigade 
under  Stewart  rushed  into  the  town,  and  fell  upon  the  rear-guard 
with  the  bayonet.  Some  few  were  taken  ;  and  the  rest,  hurry- 
ing out,  were  closely  followed  by  the  71st  and  92d  regiments, 
supported  by  the  50th,  with  three  pieces  of  Portuguese  artillery. 

The  French  readily  formed  into  two  squares :  what  cavalry 
they  had  took  post  upon  the  left ;  while  the  squares  opened  fire 
upon  Stewart's  column,  and  compelled  him  to  form  up  tlie  92d 
in  line,  to  post  the  71st  behind  a  wall  on  their  left,  and  to  can- 
nonade them  with  a  couple  of  Portuguese  guns.  These  dispo- 
sitions completed,  Stewart  was  about  to  charge  them  with  the 
92d,  when  the  brigade  of  Colonel  Wilson,  composed  of  the  28th, 
39th,  and  34th  regiments,  came  up,  under  cover  of  the  fog  and 
rain,  within  a  tew  yards  of  the  Medellin  road,  directly  upon  the 
enemy's  left  and  rear.  At  this  moment,  the  Spanish,  supported 
by  a  few  of  the  allied  cavalry,  galloped  upon  the  French  horse. 
These  not  being  sufficiently  numerous  to  maintain  any  posture 
of  defence,  were  sabred  or  dispersed,  and  fled.  About  200 
yards  to  the  right  of  the  French  infantry,  rose  the  Sierra  de 
MontancRes  ;  a  range  of  rocky  and  precipitous  heights,  traversed 
by  no  roads,  but  a  few  narrow  difficult  paths  known  only  to  the 
goat-herd  and  the  peasant.  Tlie  French,  seeing  one  British 
brigade  advancing  in  their  front,  and  another  rapidly  closing  at 
double  quick  time  upon  their  exposed  flank,  and  already  masters 
of  the  only  road  by  which  they  could  retire,  suddenly  broke  their 
ranks,  and  rushing  to  the  mountain  scrambled  up  the  pathless 
side  in  confused  crowds.  The  brigade  of  Wilson  followed ;  and 
the  34th  regiment,  which  led,  was  soon  mixed  witli  the  enemy. 
Very  few  of  them  fired  a  shot,  or  attempted  any  resistance,  but 
as  soon  as  they  were  overtaken,  broke  or  threw  down  their  arms, 
and  surrendered.  General  Girard,  with  a  very  small  remnant 
of  his  brigade,  escaped  across  the  mountains  to  Serena  ;  being 
pursued  for  many  leagues  by  a  few  British  and  Portuguese,  and 
by  a  corps  of  Spaniards  under  Murillo.  The  pursuers  found 
most  of  their  knapsacks,  and  many  of  their  arms,  upon  the  path 
by  which  they  fled. 

In  tliis  affair,  so  honorable  to  general  Hill,  the  loss  of  the 
British  did  not  exceed  sixty-four.  That  of  the  Portuguese  was 
very  trifling ;  the  Spanish  infantry  were  not  engaged,  and  their 
horsemen  suffered  little.  The  enemy  left  1500  prisoners,  three 
guns,  and  all  their  baggage,  in  the  hands  of  Hill.  Among  those 
taken  were  general  Brim;  the  duke  d'Aremberg,  colonel  of. 
chasseurs ;  and  a  chief  of  the  staff".  The  first  brigade  of  Gi- 
rard's  division  had  marched  at  five  in  the  morning,  under  gene- 
ral Remond,  and  thus  escaped  being  surprised  under  the  same 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  55 

circumstances,  and  subjected,  as  tliey  must  have  been,  to  the 
same  confu.siun  and  panic. 

The  trtK)j)s  tal^en  at  Arroyo  were  all  fine  men  and  old  soldiers. 
Among  them  was  a  battalion  of  tJie  French  34th,  taken  chiefly 
by  the  leading  companies  of  the  34th.  British.  Tlie  brass  drums 
of  tliat  corps,  and  tlie  baton  of  their  drum-major,  with  "  Auster- 
litz"  and  the  eagle  engraven  on  it,  are  still  with  tlie  English 
34th,  as  tlic  treasured  tropliies  of  tliat  joyous  day. 

General  Ildl  returned  to  Portalegro  with  the  highest  satisfac- 
tion a  commander  can  enjoy.  He  had  executed  a  very  able 
march; — had  obtained  a  brilliant  success  in  a  masterly  style ; — 
and  brought  back  to  his  cantonments  full  numbers.  His  troops 
e.xulted  at  liis  fortune,  and  lord  Wellington  felt  increasing  satis- 
faction in  his  able  and  zealous  support 


CHAP.  VI. 

MILITARY    STATE   OF  SPAI.V. — THE  GUERILLA   SVSTE.M. — PROGRESS  OF  THE 
WAR  IN  CATALONIA IN  ANDALUSIA IN  VALENCIA. 

All  the  efforts  of  the  French  to  establish  and  maintain  them- 
selves in  Portugal  had  signally  failed.  They  had  employed  in 
tliese  efforts,  at  tlie  lowest  calculation,  100,000  of  tlieir  clioicest 
troops. 

Wlien  it  is  considered  that  the  efTective  strength  of  the  Brit- 
ish army  did,  at  no  pcricxl  of  1810,  exceed  2f),{K)0  men,  did  never 
in  1811  amount  to  34,000,  and  fell  below  that  number  very  consid- 
erably atlcr  the  battles  of  Fucnte  d'Onor  and  Albuera,  the  reader 
will  be  assisted  in  forming  a  right  estimate  of  tlie  genius,  the 
judgment,  and  tiie  firmness  with  which  tliat  army  was  com- 
manded. 

It  is  not  undervaluing  the  wortiiy  spirit  or  the  brave  service 
of  the  l\irtiiguese  soldiers,  to  say  that  the  small  army  which 
represented  the  lion  heart  of  England  was  tlie  rock  of  resistance 
round  which  they  rallied,  and  to  which  tliey  clung ;  tliat  the 
directing  mind  of  one  great  man,  providentially  given  to  tlieir 
need,  was  tlie  stay  of  their  confidence,  and  the  star  of  tiieir 
liope.  In  every  cottage  in  Portugal  tlie  name  of  Wellington 
was  a  household  word. "  Napoleon  saw  tliesc  things  with  aston- 
ishment and  anger.  The  military  spirit  of  England  was  awa- 
.  kened ;  her  vast  resources  were  developed  ;  the  martial  qualities 
of  the  British  soldier  had  been  shown  uixjii  the  open  field ;  and 
tlie  charm  of  French  invincibility  was  gone. 

Throughout  tlie  length  and  breadth  of  Spain,  the  successful 
defence  of  Portugal  gave  heart  and  hoiX3  to  tlie  jjatriots.  They 
were  not  idle.     The  French  corjis  in  Spain,  though  largely 


56  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

drained  for  the  army  of  Portugal,  still  counted,  upon  the  soil  of 
Spain,  a  strength  of  nearly  150,000  men,  independent  of  that 
army.  Nevertheless,  their  stations  in  the  interior,  or  central 
provinces,  were  not  very  numerous,  and  the  corps  holding  them 
were  for  the  most  part  weak. 

Bodies  of  guerillas,  which  had  sprung  up  and  rapidly  multi- 
plied on  every  side,  assailed  and  harassed  these  weak  divisions 
by  an  incessant  warfare  of  posts  and  detachments.  Whether  in 
cantonments  or  on  the  march,  tlie  French  never  knew  how  soon 
or  how  suddenly  they  might  be  attacked.  No  convoy  of  grain 
or  provisions  could  move  without  a  strong  detachment  for  its 
protection  ;  and  the  escort  of  every  courier  was,  by  a  general 
order,  never  to  consist  of  less  than  250  men,  to  be  composed  both 
of  cavalry  and  infantry,  and  to  be  kept  by  its  commander  always 
ready  for  battle.  Such  was  the  regulation  upon  the  line  of  cor- 
respondence between  Valladolid  and  Bayonne. 

South  of  the  Ebro,  in  the  autumn  of  1811,  there  were  not  less 
than  10,000  guerillas;  while,  to  the  north  of  that  river,  the 
celebrated  Mina  and  Longa  headed  corps  of  5000  or  6000  men, 
and  achieved  many  brilliant  successes.  The  extent  to  which 
Mina  troubled  and  irritated  the  Freucli  may  be  gathered  from 
the  fact  of  their  hanging  or  shooting  every  officer  and  soldier  of 
Mina's  corps  who  fell  into  their  hands,  and  setting  a  price  upon 
his  head.  In  the  Asturias,  Porlier,  called  El  Marquisito,  sur- 
*prised  tlie  regular  garrison  of  St.  Ander.  The  famous  Juan 
Martin  el  Empecinado  was  constantly  descending  from  the  Gua- 
dalaxara  mountains,  and  spreading  terror  and  alarm  among  the 
Frencli  garrisons.  In  one  of  these  marches  he  surprised  and 
captured  three  battalions  in  Calatayud.  The  intrusive  king 
dared  not  to  sleep  beyond  the  gates  of  Madrid.  Every  village 
occupied  by  a  French  detachment  was  intrenched,  and  made 
otherwise  defensible.  Don  Julian  Sancliez  gave  the  Frenchmen 
in  Old  Castile  no  repose ;  he  was  always  in  the  saddle,  and  con- 
tiimally  surprising  detachments  and  making  prisoners.  On  one 
occasion  he  drove  away  the  cattle  from  under  the  walls  of  Ciu- 
dad  Rodrigo,  and,  disposing  an  ambush  with  very  happy  skill,  he 
succeeded  in  capturing  and  carrying  off  the  French  governor 
v.'ho  sallied  out  to  chastise  him. 

These  were  the  more  celebrated  chieflains ;  but  there  were 
many  others,  who,  by  their  activity  and  address,  obtained  great 
distinction  in  the  provinces  where  they  acted.  These  were 
known  by  t?ie  admiring  natives  under  some  familiar  appellative, 
indicating  their  ordinary  calling,  as  El  Medico,  El  Pastor,  El 
Frayle ;  or  some  accident  which  made  their  persons  remai'kable, 
as  El  Manco.  Thus  every  province  was  provided  with  its  hero, 
and  the  market-places  were  busied  with  their  fame. 

A  few  of  these  chiefcains  mustered  IxKiies  of  400  or  500  men. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINOTOK.  57 

but  the  majority  of  them  led  small  bands  of  forty  or  fifty.  The 
guerillas,  however,  were  to  be  seen,  according  to  the  nature  of 
tlieir  service,  in  parties  of  ten  or  of  a  hundred ; — here  patroling 
on  the  scout, — there  lying  close  in  anibusli  at  the  very  gates  of 
a  town  filled  with  French  soldiers.  It  mattered  not  to  these  pa- 
triots where  tliey  moved,  or  where  they  halted ;  they  hsul  no 
baggage,  no  supplies;  any  hamlet  could  feed  them  for  a  night, 
any  town  could  provide  them  for  a  week.  Every  forest  was  a 
safe  cover ;  every  rock  was  a  ready  citadel. 

By  these  small  bands  great  evils  were  inflicted  upon  the  ene- 
my. In  vain  did  the  French  march  against  them :  tliey  were 
never  to  be  seen ;  or  only  from  afar,  moving  ujx)n  some  inacces- 
sible sierra  in  cheerful  security.  Tiie  duties  of  the  French  sol- 
diers were  doubled ;  their  toil  incessant ;  and  all  their  smaller 
posts  and  detachments  spent  their  unquiet  nights  in  uneaainess 
and  fear. 

This  desultory  warfare  had  its  peculiar  advantage,  was  emi- 
nently suited  to  the  genius  and  habits  of  the  Spanish  peasantry, 
and  should  have  been  watched  and  encouraged  by  the  govern- 
ment, or  left  to  grow  up  into  a  wide  and  wild  spirit  of  resistance 
to  the  invader,  without  the  control  of  suspicious  and  jealous  in- 
terference. But  the  government  began  to  regulate  these  irreg- 
ulars; or  rather,  they  clumsily  attempted  that  which  was  not 
possible,  and,  if  it  had  been,  was  not  wise  or  advisable.  They 
rewarded  men  who  had  made  themselves  chieftains,  made  tliem- 
selves  a  name,  witli  a  military  rank,  which,  by  subordinating 
them  to  tlie  officers  of  the  regular  army,  destroyed  tlieir  inde- 
pendence, shackled  their  movements,  and  froze  up  tliat  fountain 
of  zeal  which  had  fed  the  torrent  of  their  revenge. 

Under  this  arrangement  the  once  enterprising  guerillas  be- 
came bad,  tame,  indolent  regulars,  or  they  dispersed  to  their 
scattered  honie.s.  Thus  many  of  the  lesser  bands  disappeared 
and  melted  away.  IMina  and  Longa,  however,  being  very  supe- 
rior men,  and  having  a  genius  that  way,  became  eminent  com- 
manders; collected  divisions  under  their  orders  in  the  i)rovinces 
of  Aragon  and  Navarre,  and  maintained  the  war  with  all  the 
guerilla  spirit,  but  witii  much  professional  ability  as  officers. 

But  it  wa-s  in  Catalonia  that  the  true  bright  spirit  of  patriots 
shone  wilii  the  most  steady  lustre.  In  a  combat  at  Vals  with 
the  Italian  division  of  general  Eugene  and  a  brigarlc  of  French 
horse,  general  Sarsfield,  at  the  head  of  (KKK)  Spaniards,  gained 
a  very  brilliant  victory.  Eugene  himself  was  slaiu;  his  division 
was  driven  away  in  disorder,  and  only  saved  from  utter  destruc- 
tion by  the  gallant  countenance  of  the  Frencli  dragoons,  who 
charged  the  pursuers  and  checke<l  their  advance. 

This  art'uir  gave  great  vc.\ation  to  marshal  Macdonald.  He 
remained  inactive  in  the  very  presence  oi'  Sarslield,  and  retired 


58  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

before  him  upon  Lerida,  making  his  march  silently  under  cover 
of  the  night.  Macdonald  passed  two  months  at  Lerida,  and, 
about  the  end  of  March,  moved  upon  Barcelona.  He  took  the 
route  of  Manresa.  Sarsfield  got  intelligence  of  his  intended 
march;  hastened  to  the  strong  country  of  Montserrat-and  Man- 
resa ;  and  so  skilfully  disposed  his  force,  that  the  advanced  bri- 
gade of  Macdonald  came  unawares  upon  a  large  ambush  of  foot 
and  artillery,  and  was  cut  up  and  driven  back  by  grape  and  mus- 
ketry. 

For  this  irritating  check  the  Italian  soldiers  took  a  mournful 
and  fierce  revenge  : — they  set  fire  to  Manresa,  and  that  fair  and 
populous  town  was  totally  destroyed.  The  flames  of  Manresa 
were  seen  from  Sarsfield's  camp  at  Montserrat,  and  through  a 
wakeful  night  of  angry  curses,  the  Spanish  soldiers  stood  gazing 
upon  that  scene  of  ruin ;  while  from  all  sides  the  inhabitants  of 
the  neighboring  villages  came  pouring  into  the  bivouac  in  arms. 
The  next  morning  the  French  marched  forwards,  entered  the 
defiles  of  the  Col  d'Avi,  and  with  a  brave  perseverance  forced 
their  way  up  the  mountain,  and  finally  reached  Barcelona.  But 
amid  the  rocks  and  precipices  of  this  defile  they  were  exposed 
to  so  heavy  a  fire  of  small-arms,  that  they  were  six  hours  be- 
fore they  completed  the  passage,  and  nearly  half  their  numbers 
were  killed  or  wounded.  Of  the  latter,  such  as  could  not  walk 
fell  into  the  power  of  the  Spaniards,  and  were  sacrificed  on  the 
spot  by  the  Manresans,  who  ran  after  them  houseless  and  frantic. 

Early  in  this  year,  the  French  army  of  Aragon,  by  its  pre- 
vious success  in  that  province,  was  left  disposable  for  operations 
in  the  kingdom  of  Catalonia ;  and  the  Catalan  forces  could  no 
longer  maintain  the  field. 

The  marquis  of  Camix)verde,  who  had  succeeded  general 
O'Donnel  in  the  chief  command,  encamped  his  troops  in  a 
strong  position,  protected  by  the  works  of  Tarragona,  and 
watched  his  opportunities  of  annoyance  with  vigilance  and 
spirit.  Upon  the  19th  of  March  he  attempted  the  recovery  of 
fort  Montjnic,  at  Barcelona,  by  surprise.  The  undertaking  was 
bold,  and  the  plan  was  arranged  with  all  secrecy  and  good 
promise  of  success ;  but  those  in  whom  he  trusted  betrayed  his 
designs.  The  French  governor  was  prepared  for  the  assault, 
and,  when  the  leading  battalion  of  the  Spaniards  descended  into 
the  ditch,  the  garrison  poured  down  upon  it  so  heavy  and  mur- 
derous a  fire,  Uiat  in  a  few  moments  it  was  a  confused  lieap  of 
slain  and  wounded  men.  The  remainder  of  the  force  precipitate- 
ly retired ;  but,  so  completely  were  the  French  prepared,  that 
their  march  was  intercepted  by  detachments,  which,  though  not 
in  strength  to  out  off  their  retreat,  caused  them  a  very  consid- 
erable loss, 

However,  tlie  heq.rt  of  the  Catalans  fainted  not.     A  similar 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  59' 

enterprise  was  attempted  against  Figueras  early  in  April.  Gene- 
ral Martinez  and  colonel  Rovira,  already  celebrated  as^  mfjst  ac- 
tive and  fortunate  leaders  of  Miquelets,  were  intrusted  with  the 
direction  of  this  service. 

To  Rovira,  indeed,  the  suggestion  of  this  effort  is  due ;  but 
his  proposal  had  been  hitherto  regarded  as  rash.  It  was  not 
surprising  that  any  otiicer  should  so  view  the  matter  proftjssion- 
ally;  but  Rovira  was  a  leader  formed  by  the  times.  lie  had 
suddenly  cast  off  his  doctor's  gown,  and  left  his  college  and  his 
books  for  the  bivouac  and  the  sword  :  to  him  nothing  was  con- 
templated as  impracticable,  that  was  possible.  Tliese  leaders, 
therefore,  collecting  about  1000  volunteers,  stole  upon  Figueraa 
by  night  marches,  and  lay  concealed  in  the  woods  by  day. 

There  were  three  soldiers  belonging  to  the  French  garrison 
in  the  citadel  of  Figueras,  who  were  Spaniards.     These  men 
,  had  been  won  to  the  interest  of  Rovira,  and  with  them  he  had 
previously  established  a  good  intelligence. 

The  march  of  Rovira  was  accomplished  with  the  most  perfect 
secrecy.  In  the  dead  of  night  all  his  men  were  silently  ad- 
mitted into  the  citadel  by  the  three  Spaniards  serving  in  the 
place.  One  sentinel  was  killed  before  lie  could  give  the  alarm ; 
and  the  castle  of  Figueras  was  in  the  power  of  Rovira  before 
the  governor  and  the  garrison  were  awake.  They  were  made 
prisoners  in  their  very  beds.  The  Spaniards  now  turned  the 
guns  of  the  castle  upon  the  town,  and  immediately  took  posses- 
sion of  it.  This  brilliant  success  was  hailed  by  the  Catalans 
vvitli  a  joy  the  most  lively.  Baron  d'Eroles  marched  instantly 
from  Martorel  to  reinforce  Rovira ;  and,  upon  his  way,  captured 
tlie .forts  of  Castelfullit  and  Olot,  making  500  prisoners. 

But  Figueras,  though  once  more  in  the  power  of  its  rightful 
masters,  was  without  provisions  in  sufficient  abundance  to  admit 
of  its  being  securely  maintained  for  any  considerable  period. 

Towards  the  end  of  April,  tiie  marquis  of  Campovenle  col- 
lected a  large  convoy,  and  marched  with  all  the  troops  which 
he  could  muster  to  its  relief.  It  was  already  investetl  by  a  corps 
under  general  Baraguay  d'llilliers. 

Camix)vcrde  approached  tlie  place  on  the  3d  of  May,  but 
while  endeavoring  to  force  the  blockading  line,  he  was  assailed 
by  the  French  in  flank  and  rear:  his  army  was  instantly  struck 
with  a  panic  ;  it  broke  and  fled  in  confusion,  leaving  tlie  convoy, 
ir)(K)  prisoners,  and  several  hundreds  of  killeil  and  wounded,  in 
the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

While  these  things  were  passing  atFigucnus  Suchet  marched 
upon  Tarragona,  and  invested  that  important  fortress,  on  the  4th 
or  May,  with  20,000  infantry  and  2(KK)  horse.  The  depicts  of 
Tortosa  an<l  Iicrida  supplied  artill(;ry  and  stores  for  the  siege  : 
his  communication  with  Tortosa  was  already  secured  by  Fort 


60  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

Balaguer,  and  by  an  intrenched  camp  at  Perillo ;  he  proceeded 
to  secure  that  with  Lerida,  by  fortifying  a  large  convent  on  the 
heights  above  Montblanc. 

The  direction  of  this  siege  did  not,  of  right,  belong  to  marshal 
Suchet,  but  to  marshal  Macdonald,  who  was  the  commander-in- 
chief  of  all  the  forces  in  Catalonia.  Napoleon,  however,  visited 
the  ill  fortune  of  Macdonald  in  the  action  at  Vals,  by  selecting 
Suchet  to  conduct  the  attack  of  Tarragona. 

This  important  place  was  the  last  hold  of  Catalonia;  the 
works  had  been  examined  and  repaired ;  and  it  was  provided 
with  a  garrison  almost  as  numerous  as  the  troops  of  the  be- 
sieging army.  Moreover,  a  squadron  of  English  men-of-war, 
under  captain  Codrington,  most  effectually  secured  the  free  en- 
trance of  the  port ;  so  that  reinforcements  and  supplies  might 
be  easily  admitted.  Under  these  circumstances,  a  very  obstinate 
defence  was  most  confidently  expected. 

The  site  of  Tarragona  is  formidable.  It  stands  upon  the  side 
of  a  rocky  height,  the  summit  of  whicli  is  crowned  by  the  upper 
town.  To  the  north,  west,  and  south,  tlie  rock,  wliicli  is  steep 
and  lofty,  has  by  nature  a  precipitous  fall,  and  has  been  scai-ped 
with  care.  To  the  east  and  south-east  the  ground  slopes  gently 
to  the  lower  town,  the  harbor,  and  the  Francoli  river ;  the  town 
being  situated  between  the  points  where  the  Francoli  and  the 
Graya  flow  into  the  Mediterranean  sea. 

The  principal  outwork  of  Tarragona  was  the  Fort  Oliva,  a 
detached  work,  erected  upon  a  height  about  400  toises  from  the 
upper  town,  and  at  the  same  elevation.  This  fort  was  armed 
with  sixty  guns,  and  surrounded  by  a  deep  ditch  cut  in  the  solid 
rock. 

To  describe  the  works  of  Tarragona  minutely,  or  to  give  the 
particular  details  of  this  memorable  siege,  falls  not  within  the 
limits  of  this  memoir.  Enough  has  been  said  to  convey  a  gene- 
ral idea  of  the  strength  of  Tarragona,  and  to  picture  that  once 
fair  and  pleasant  city. 

Fort  Oliva  was  first  attacked,  a  breach  was  formed,  and  it 
was  carried  by  assault  on  the  night  of  the  29th  of  May.  Fifteen 
hundred  of  the  garrison  of  Oliva  were  bayoneted  on  the  spot. 

The  attack  was  now  directed  against  the  lower  town,  and 
the  advances  were  pushed  forward  with  great  vigor  and  distin- 
guished skill. 

The  works  of  the  lower  town  were  stormed  and  carried 
through  two  practicable  breaches  on  the  21st  of  June.  In  this 
assault  the  French  soldiers  gave  no  quarter,  and  more  than  2000 
Spaniards  fell  beneath  their  bayonets. 

The  works  of  the  upper  town  were  now  the  last  defence  of 
the  Spaniards ;  and  batteries  to  breach  them  were  soon  formed 
by  the  besieirers.     Before  they  were  finished,  a  Briti.sJi  force 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  Gt 

of  2000  men  arrived  in  the  bay  from  Cadiz.  Colonel  Skerret, 
who  commanded  this  succor,  immediately  landed  with  his  en- 
gineers to  examine  the  state  of  the  defences.  The  British  en- 
gineers re;x)rted  that,  as  soon  as  ever  the  enemy  began  to  batter 
m  breach,  the  front  attacked  must  inmiediately  be  beaten  down. 
Therefore  Contreras,  the  governor,  did  not  invite  the  British  to 
land,  but  recommended  tJiat  they  should  join  tiie  field  army 
under  Ca-npoverde  at  Vendrels,  about  twenty-five  miles  to  the 
eastward,  and  act  in  concert  witli  that  general  upon  the  rear  of 
the  besiegers.  He  at  the  same  time  announced  to  colonel  Sker- 
ret  his  own  intention  to  abandon  the  place,  as  soon  as  the  French 
opened  their  batteries  in  breach,  and  to  force  his  way  through 
the  lines  of  the  enemy  with  the  7000  regulars  which  yet  re- 
mained to  him,  and  which  would  thus  be  preserved  to  the  cause. 
Unhappily  this  design  of  Contreras  became  publicly  known  to 
the  inhabitants,  and  was  treacherously  conveyed  to  Suchet 
The  preparations  of  the  French  were  hastened  ;  their  batteries 
suddenly  opened  at  daylight  on  tlie  28tli  of  June  ;  and  by  ten 
o'clock  m  the  forenoon,  a  practicable  breach  was  formed.  During 
the  insufferable  heat  of  noon,  the  fire  of  the  besiegers  ceased, 
and  all  seemed  quiet  in  the  trenchea  But  soon  after,  the  French 
trooiw  rushed  hotly  to  the  assault,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they 
were  masters  of  the  place.  They  beliaved  with  terrible  ferocity. 
Many  tliousands  of  the  wretched  inhabitants  were  butchered  m 
the  streets.  The  hearths  and  tlie  altars  of  Tarragona  were 
stained  with  the  blood  of  the  helpless. 

Crowds  of  fugitives  hurried  to  tlie  sea-side,  and  many  of  them 
were  rescued  by  the  boats  of  the  British  squadron,  under  tlie  fire 
of  the  French  batteries ;  but  Uiese  bore  no  jjroportion  to  the  suf- 
ferera  The  efforts  of  the  French  officers  to  arrest  the  savage 
violence  of  their  men  were  vain.  The  frightful  massacre  waa 
continued  for  many  hours  ;  and  a  licentiousness  the  most  brutal 
acted  all  its  wanton  and  heartless  atrocities  amid  flaming  edi- 
fices and  bleeding  victims. 

Thus  was  Tarragona  taken.  According  to  the  official  report 
of  Suchet,  4000  men  were  killed  in  the  streets;  10,000  or 
12,000  attempted  to  save  tliemselves  by  getting  over  the  walls, 
of  whom  KKK)  were  sabred  or  drowned ;  and  he  made  10,0(K) 
prisoners,  including  500  officers,  besides  1500  wounded  men 
found  in  tJie  hospitals. 

The  vigor  and  talent  with  which  Suchet  conducted  the  siege 
gave  great  satisfaction  to  his  imperial  master ;  and  tlie  military 
severity  with  which  he  punished  the  citizens  of  Tarragona  for 
defending  their  own  homes,  was  plainly  stamped  witli  his  ap- 
probation. 

It  may  be,  and  doubtless  it  is,  true,  that  tlie  soldiers,  in  their 
rage,  exceeded  tlie  measure  of  chastisement  wliich  he  had 

Vol.  II.  F 


62  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

calmly  contemplated,  and  had  previously  announced  his  intention 
to  permit.  Thus  the  general  wrote  officially  to  his  government 
before  the  assault,  "  I  fear  much,  should  the  garrison  stand  the 
assault  behind  their  last  defences,  that  I  shall  be  forced  to  set  a 
terrible  example,  and  intimidate  Catalonia  and  Spain  for  ever, 
by  the  destruction  of  an  entire  city." — "  And  thus,"  said  the 
general,  in  his  official  report  after  the  capture  of  the  place, 
"  has  tlie  terrible  example  which  I  predicted ! ! !  taken  place ; 
and  it  will  long  be  remembered  by  the  Spaniards."  Yes,  it  will 
be  long  remembered  by  the  Spaniards — and  not  by  them  only ! 

Exulting  in  his  success,  and  confiding  in  the  terror  of  his 
arms,  Suchet  was  not  slow  to  improve  the  advantages  of  his  late 
conquest. 

The  baron  d'Eroles  had  established  himself  in  the  famous 
convent  of  Montserrat,  on  the  celebrated  mountain  of  that  name, 
not  far  from  Barcelona.  Among  the  difficult  and  rugged  rocks 
of  this  singular  mountain,  D'Eroles  had  formed  several  strong 
posts  and  magazines ;  from  thence  commanding  a  clear  view  of 
all  the  principal  roads,  he  was  enabled  to  direct  the  movements 
of  his  force  with  security;  and  he  made  incursions  into  the 
neighboring  country,  pushing  his  men  to  the  very  gates  of  Bar- 
celona, and  alarming  the  garrison. 

On  the  24th  of  July,  Suchet,  collecting  a  very  superior  force, 
marched  against  Montserrat,  and  made  various  attacks  at  different 
points.  D'Eroles,  not  having  troops  sufficient  to  offer  resistance 
on  all  sides,  was,  of  course,  beaten.  The  position  was  carried 
by  the  French  columns:  D'Eroles  himself  narrowly  escaped 
being  taken  prisoner ;  and  many  of  his  people  effected  their  re- 
treat by  the  most  intricate  passes  under  cover  of  the  night. 

In  the  following  month,  the  French  recovered  possession  of 
Figueras.  Martinez,  with  his  gallant  Miquelets,  sustained  a 
blockade  for  four  rnonths  with  enduring  constancy  :  at  last,  pro- 
visions failed ;  the  magazines  were  exhausted ;  the  last  rations 
were  issued ;  and  the  brave  Spaniard  sallied  forth,  and  attempt- 
ed to  force  the  French  lines.  The  French  were  thoroughly 
prepared  for  this  attack.  The  sally  was  made  on  the  night  of 
the  16th  of  August ;  and  the  Spaniards,  to  the  number  of  3000, 
forced  their  way  to  the  abatis  by  which  the  enemy's  line  was 
covered.  Martinez  found  the  roads  blocked  up,  ditches  cut 
wide  and  deep,  and  obstacles  of  every  kind  multiplied  to  impede 
his  progress.  Moreover,  these  lines  were  defended  by  the  fire 
of  strong  bodies  of  the  enemy,  alert  and  confident.  After  bold, 
resolute,  repeated  eftbrts  to  effect  his  object,  Martinez,  having 
lost  400  men,  returned  to  Figueras.  The  next  day  he  capitu- 
lated ;  obtaining  from  the  enemy,  as  he  well  deserved,  the  mast 
honorable  terms. 

Thus  all  the  strong  fortresses  of  Catalonia  were  again  in  the 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  63 

power  of  the  French.  But  under  all  these  reverses  the  heart  of 
the  Catalan  was  unsubdued.  The  provincial  force^  still  found 
places  of  strength  and  refuge  among  those  natur^  fastnesses 
which  abound  on  their  native  mountains.  Here,  upon  the  rocks, 
they  watched  every  movement  of  the  invader.  Such  was  the 
state  of  the  province  when  general  Lacy  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  it.  His  firmness  and  spirit  were  well  seconded  by 
the  enterprise  of  baron  d'Eroles.  This  leader,  with  the  assist* 
ance  of  a  British  frigate,  recaptured  tlie  islands  of  Las  Medas, 
— of  which  mention  has  already  been  made.  They  command 
the  along-shore  navigation,  and  the  possession  of  them  is  very 
important  to  the  party  holding  Barcelona. 

When  the  French  concentrated  their  main  force  at  Tortoea 
for  further  operations.  Lacy  immediately  projected  the  attack  of 
those  detached  posts  which  they  had  left  in  the  principality  to 
secure  their  communications  with  Aragon.  Several  of  these 
were  surprised  and  wrested  from  them :  thus  the  town  and  the 
fortified  convent  of  Igualada,  the  city  and  the  fortified  university 
of  Cervera,  and  the  town  and  castle  of  Belpuig,  were  succes- 
sively recovered  to  the  Spanish  arms,  by  the  activity  and  valor 
of  D'Eroles ;  while  Lacy  defeated,  in  the  field,  a  strong  detach- 
ment that  marched  to  the  relief  of  Igualada,  when  D'Eroles 
was  before  that  town,  and  had  shut  up  the  garrison  in  the  con- 
vent In  tliese  various  affairs  the  French  lost  not  less  than  1500 
men,  whereof  the  half  were  made  prisoners,  besides  a  convoy 
which  fell  into  the  hands  of  Lacy. 

The  enemy  made  great  efforts  to  intercept  D'Eroles,  but  in 
vain.  He  boldly  passed  tlie  Pyrenees;  entered  Languedoc;  and, 
afler  a  well-conducted  incursion,  returned,  with  corn,  cattle 
and  a  contribution  in  money,  to  renew  his  bold  exertions  in 
Catalonia.  It  is  recorded  to  his  honor,  and  that  of  his  gallant 
band,  tiiat  not  one  inhabitant  of  France  was  put  to  death,  or 
treated  with  personal  violence,  during  this  tempting  opportunity 
for  severe  reprisal. 

Before  we  follow  the  march  of  Suchet  to  Valencia,  we  turn  to 
relate  the  state  and  progress  of  the  war  in  Andalusia. 

At  Cadiz,  nothing,  in  a  military  point  of  view,  occurred  worthy 
of  note.  From  the  period  of  the  battle  of  Barrosa  there  was  a 
great  coolness  between  the  British  and  SjMinish  officers.  The 
court  of  inciuiry,  instituted  by  the  cortcz,  had  supported  general 
la  I'ena.  Sir  'rhonias  Graham  had  quitted  Cadiz  for  tlie  camp 
of  Wellington,  and  general  Cooke  had  succeeded  him  in  com- 
mand of  the  British  on  tiie  Isla  dc  I/Km. 

The  cortez  were  occu])ied  with  debates  upon  questions  of 
a  speculative  nature,  and  anmsing  themselves,  each  witli  the 
statement  of  his  own  tiieory  of  government ;  wiiile  French 
eoldiers  were  barracked  in  the  halls  of  Seville,  and  the  armed 


64  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

patriots  of  Andalusia  seeking  refuge  under  tiie  guns  of  Gibraltar. 
After  Massena  was  driven  out  of  Portugal,  some  more  reasonable 
Spaniards  were  found,  who  proposed  that  the  frontier  provinces 
in  that  quarter  should  be  placed  under  the  command  of  lord 
Wellington.  This  question  was  debated  in  the  cortez,  and  re- 
jected by  a  large  majority. 

The  brightest  feature  of  affairs  in  the  south  at  this  period  was 
tlie  spirited  and  prudent  conduct  of  Ballasteros.  This  chief, 
supported  by  Gibraltar  and  tlie  mountains  of  Ronda,  maintained 
eo  good  a  countenance  witli  the  troops  under  his  orders,  and  so 
menaced  and  harassed  the  French,  that  Soult,  in  the  apprehen- 
sion that  the  army  of  Ballasteros,  which  amounted  to  more  than 
8000  men,  might  grow  formidable  if  neglected,  sent  Godinot  with 
equal  numbers  to  crush  him;  but  the  Spanish  general  marched 
and  manoeuvred  so  ably,  as  to  foil  this  design  most  efiectually. 

With  a  view  to  support  Ballasteros,  TarifTa  was  now  occu- 
pied by  strong  detachments  of  British  and  Spanish  troops  from 
Gibraltar  and  Cadiz. 

At  the  very  moment  that  Ballasteros  was  prudently  taking 
shelter  under  the  works  of  Gibraltar,  these  detachments  landed 
at  Tariffa  and  garrisoned  the  place.  The  news  no  sooner  reached 
Godinot,  then  he  faced  about,  and  marched  in  that  direction  by 
the  pass  of  La  Jt'ena ;  out  nere  tne  roau  is  cunnnanueu  iioin  tne 
sea,  and  his  columns  were  received  with  so  hot  a  fire  by  the 
batteries  of  some  British  men-of-war,  which  lay  well  in  shore, 
that  they  were  compelled  to  return.  As  this  was  tlie  only  road 
by  which  his  artillery  could  have  advanced,  any  aitcriipt  against 
Tarifla  was  of  necessity  for  the  time  relinquished. 

Ballasteros,  emboldened  by  the  enemy's  embarrassment,  now 
ventured  to  assail  and  press  Godinot,  and  gained  considerable 
advantages  over  him  on  two  occasions,  by  attacking  his  rear- 
guard, as  he  was  returning  to  Seville,  with  great  vigor,  and 
causing  him  some  loss.  These  successes  begot  such  a  confi- 
dence in  the  soldiers  of  Ballasteros,  that  he  projected  the  surprise 
of  a  corps  of  2000  men  posted  at  Bornos  under  general  Semele. 
The  French  were  completely  routed ;  abandoned  their  artillery 
and  baggage ;  left  more  than  100  prisoners  on  the  ground,  besides 
killed  and  wounded ;  and  fled  in  great  disorder. 

The  ill  success  of  his  expedition  against  Ballasteros  sunk  deep 
into  the  heart  of  Godinot;  and,  as  soon  as  he  reached  Seville,  he 
shot  himself,  and  took  refuge,  from  the  reproaches  which  he 
expected,  in  the  grave. 

Tariffa  is  not  a  fortress ;  it  is  surrounded  by  an  uncovered 
wall,  flanked  by  small  projections;  but  there  is  an  island  con- 
nected witli  it  by  a  bridge,  which  affords  a  secure  point  of  re- 
embarkation  for  a  garrison  compelled  to  abandon  the  town.  This 
island  is  armed  by  two  batteries  and  a  piartelio  tower. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  65 

General  Copons  and  colonel  Skerret  decided  to  defend  TarifFa ; 
and,  by  great  exertions,  they  soon  improved  the  defences,  and 
materially  increased  their  strengtli :  1200  Britisli  and  900  Span- 
iards composed  the  garrison. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1811,  general  Laval  appeared  in 
front  of  the  place  with  10,000  men  and  eighteen  pieces  of  ar- 
tillery. He  broke  ground  on  the  night  of  the  24th ;  upon  the 
31st  he  had  established  a  practicable  breach.  On  the  morning 
of  the  1st  of  January,  a  column  of  2000  men  advanced  bravely 
to  the  storm ;  and  they  were  so  well  and  steadily  received  by 
the  garrison,  that,  after  spirited  and  fruitless  efforts,  they  retired 
with  the  loss  of  501)  men  killed  and  wounded.  The  artillery  of 
the  garrison  was  admirably  served,  and  the  fire  of  the  87th  and 
47th  regiments  Britisli  was  very  destructive ;  nor  could  any 
thing  exceed  the  zeal  and  the  ability  of  colonel  Skerret  in  the 
conduct  of  this  service. 

On  the  night  of  the  4th  of  January,  Laval  buried  his  artillery, 
which,  owing  to  the  severity  of  the  weather  and  the  badness  of 
the  roads,  he  could  not  have  withdrawn,  and  retired  upon  Se- 
ville, whither  he  was  then  summoned  by  Soult,  whom  the  move- 
ments of  general  Hill  in  Estremadura  had  effectually  alarmed. 
The  siege  of  Tariffa  lasted  seventeen  days ;  and  the  loss  of  the 
French  during  the  operations  was  very  heavy. 

We  must  now  relate  their  successes  in  another  quarter.  To- 
wards the  close  of  the  July  preceding,  Blake  sailed  from  Cadiz 
for  Almoria  with  a  strong  reinforcement  for  the  army  of  Murcia, 
and  assumed  the  command  of  that  force.  Tlie  army  of  Murcia 
now  mustered  20,000  men :  therefore  Soult  collected  all  the 
troops  of  his  command  that  were  disposable,  and  marched  to 
bring  Blake  to  action.  This  he  effected  at  Ix)rca,  on  the  9th  of 
August ;  and  defeated  the  Spaniards  so  complete^  tiiat  Blake 
could  not  afterwards  collect  more  than  9000  men  at  Lcbrilla.  In 
time,  the  dispersed  soldiers  returned  ;  reinforcements  were  sent 
from  Cadiz ;  Soult  had  gone  back  to  Seville ;  and  Blake,  who, 
amid  all  his  disasters  and  reverses,  still  retained  the  confidence 
botli  of  the  government  and  the  army,  was  intrusted  witli  the 
defence  of  Valencia.  The  command  of  the  forces  in  that  prov- 
ince being  now  united  to  that  of  his  own,  he  was  at  the  head  of 
more  than  ;k>,(KH)  men;  and  among  them  were  some  divisions 
of  the  very  host  soldiers  in  Spain.  His  officers  were  known 
and  tried  commanders ;  and  every  lover  of  his  country  turned 
his  eyes  witli  hop«>  to  the  army  of  Valencia. 

After  tlie  fall  of  Tarragona,  marsiial  Macdonald  was  recalled 
rom  Catalonia,  and  general  Dccacn  was  sent  to  command  that 
irovince.  'I'hus  Suchet  was  intrusted  with  a  lar^e  autliority, 
and.  tlie  military  resources  of  the  French  army  in  Catalonia 
were  at  his  control. 

F2 


66  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

In  the  middle  of  September,  Suchet  assembled  25,000  men  at 
Tortosa,  and  advanced  into  the  kingdom  of  Valencia.  He  pre- 
sented himself  before  Murviedro,  on  the  27th  of  September, 
without  artillery,  and  made  a  bold  attempt  to  possess  himself  of 
that  important  citadel  by  escalade.  He  was  repulsed  with  con- 
siderable loss. 

It  now  became  necessary  to  bring  up  his  battering  train ;  this 
he  could  not  do  without  reducing  the  little  castle  of  Oropesa, 
which  commands  the  great  road  coming  from  Catalonia.  This 
castle,  therefore,  was  regularly  breached,  and  capitulated  on  the 
11th  of  October;  and  upon  the  18tli,  his  lieavy  guns  reached 
Murviedro. 

He  now  hastily  threw  up  some  distant  batteries,  established  a 
breach,  and  gave  the  assault.  The  attack  was  spirited  and  re- 
solute, but  the  approach  was  found  difficult ;  and  it  was  defended 
so  well,  that  the  French  column  was  driven  back,  with  the  loss 
of  300  men  killed  and  wounded.  Instructed  by  these  failures, 
Suchet  condescended  to  proceed  with  more  regularity.  Mean- 
while Blake  advanced  to  raise  the  siege.  Suchet  left  a  detach- 
ment of  six  battalions  before  Murviedro,  to  confine  the  garrison, 
and  marched  with  his  main  body  to  offer  battle.  He  placed  his 
troops  in  a  position,  the  left  of  which  rested  upon  the  sea  in  rear 
of  Puzol;  while  the  right  stretclied  to  the  mountains  beyond 
the  village  of  Val  de  Jesus.  The  Spanish  left  rested  on  the  vil- 
lage of  Betara ;  their  right  extended  to  the  sea.  These  disposi- 
tions were  completed  on  both  sides  on  the  evening  of  the  24th 
of  October.  On  the  mornmg  of  the  25th,  about  two  hours  after 
daylight,  the  Spaniards  advanced  to  battle  in  good  heart,  and  in 
very  fine  order.  Their  right  wing,  commanded  by  general 
Zayas,  promotly  seized  Puzol,  and,  moving  forward  with  rapidi- 
ty, carried  a%rong  height  in  advance  of  the  village  with  signal 
valor.  Thus  the  French  left  was,  for  a  sliort  space,  turned ;  and 
Zayas,  having  pushed  forward  the  brigades  on  iiis  riglit,  while 
he  held  his  left  in  hand,  had  already  changed  his  front,  and  was 
formed  almost  at  right  angles  to  the  line  on  which  he  advanced. 

The  left  wing  of  the  Spaniards  obtained  a  corresponding  ad- 
vantage on  the  French  right.  They  also  carried  an  in)portant 
height  upon  the  enemy's  right  flank,  and  threatened  to  turn  the 
right  wing  of  the  French.  By  these  movements,  Blake  had 
dangerously  extended  liis  wings,  and  weakened  his  centre.  The 
fire  was,  at  this  time,  general  along  the  whole  front.  The 
walls  and  towers  of  Murviedro  were  crowded  with  exulting 
spectators ;  who,  as  they  saw  the  Spanish  wings  advance,  con- 
cluded that  tlie  battle  was  already  won,  and  their  deliverance  at 
hand.  But  Suchet's  strength  was  yet  to  be  developed.  He  had 
so  disposed  liis  reserve,  that  it  could  either  succor  the  blockading 
force,  or  supjwrt  his  left.  Now,  therefore,  he  brought  it  forward ; 


THE  Dl'KE  OF  WELLIN'GTON.  67 

and,  after  strongly  reinforcing  his  left,  he  drew  together  the  re- 
mainder of  his  forces  into  a  compact  body,  and  hurrying  upon 
tlie  Sjjanish  centre  at  the  charge  step,  immediately  overtiircw  it, 
and  drove  it  from  the  field  in  the  greatest  possible  disorder. 
This  done,  he  fell  vigorously  upon  their  wings.  The  left  he 
soon  overpowered;  the  rigiit,  under  Zayas,  fought  to  tlie  last 
with  tlie  same  constant  and  valiant  spirit  which  tiicy  had  shown 
at  the  commencement  of  the  action.  It  was  not  without  a  stout 
struggle  that  they  gave  up  tiie  height  which  they  first  gained  : 
they  maintained  the  village  of  Puzol  long  after  tlie  centre  was 
beaten  :  they  again  showed  a  gallant  front  on  the  heigiits  near 
Puig;  and  they  finally  retired  in  unbroken  order  along  the 
coast-road,  towards  Valencia.  Blake  attempted  to  make  a  stand 
with  the  left  and  centre  behind  the  Betara,  but  it  was  of  no 
avail,  and  ho  was  compelled  to  urge  forward  the  retreat  of  his 
exhausted  battalions,  and  to  pass  the  Guadalaviar.  The  loss  ot 
tlie  Spaniards  in  this  engagement  nearly  amounted  to  6000 
killed,  wounded,  and  taken  :  tliat  of  the  JFrench  did  not  exceed 
600. 

Murvie<lro  capitulated  the  next  day.  Blake  now  posted  his 
army  in  a  very  strong  jxjsition  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Guada- 
laviar, his  right  touching  the  city  of  Valencia.  He  broke  down 
some  of  the  bridges ;  covered  those  he  suffered  to  remain  with 
regular  tetes-de-ix)nt ;  surrounded  the  villages  of  Quarte  and 
Mislata  in  his  front  with  intrenchments ;  very  strongly  fortified 
those  of  St.  Onofre  and  Manises  on  his  left ;  and  strengthened 
his  right  by  forming  inundations, — a  mode  of  defence  which  the 
canals  covering  his  right  suggested  and  made  easy.  Thus  pro- 
tected, Valencia  for  a  time  defied  the  victorious  Sucliet.  He 
pushed  his  advanced  posts  to  the  very  suburbs,  indeed,  soon 
after  tlie  fall  of  Alurvicdro;  but,  having  surveyed  the  formidable 
pre]).irations  of  Blake,  he  halted  hin  army  in  jiosition  u]xin  the 
letl  of  the  river,  covered  his  front  with  redoubts,  and  represent- 
ing his  situation  to  the  major-general  of  the  imjicrial  armies  at 
Madrid,  and  to  tiic  emperor  at  Paris,  he  quietly  awaited  rein- 
forcements. For  nearly  two  months  nothing  could  be  under- 
taken ;  yet,  with  a  weak  force,  he  caliidy  maintained  a  line, 
tlie  lefl  of  wliich  hold  the  (Jrao  or  port,  and  the  centre  occupied 
the  Serrano,  a  suburb  of  Valencia. 

On  tlie  2oth  of  Decenilier,  Sucliet  was  joined  by  nearly  10,000 
men.  These  reinforcements  came  for  the  most  part  from  Cata- 
lonia. 1  fe  had  a  jxirk  of  P20  pieces  of  heavy  cannon  and  mor- 
tars ;  his  bridge  apiMiratus  was  complete ;  and  he  resolved  to 
jxiss  the  (fuadalaviar.  During  the  niglit  of  the  25th  the  French 
laid  down  three  bridges;  two  about  a  league  above  Manises,  and 
a  tliird  at  Mislata. 

Early  on  the  26th,  the  main  body  of  the  French  passed  the 


68  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

river.  Blake's  left  division  of  infantry,  under  general  Mahy, 
held  the  intrenchments  of  Manises  and  St.  Onofre  :  his  cavalry 
were  posted  on  the  left,  near  Ribaroja.  This  infantry  abandoned 
tlieir  posts  at  once,  and  hastened  beyond  tlie  Xucar.  The  cav- 
alry, after  making  a  very  feeble  opp©sition  at  Torrente,  gave 
way  also,  and  fled  in  confusion  from  the  field.  They  were  be- 
wildered by  the  movements  of  the  Frencli  general ;  and,  con- 
sidering themselves  outmanoeuvred  and  turned,  yielded  instantly 
to  their  apprehensions. 

The  divisions  which  crossed  the  river  between  Quarte  and 
Mislata  could  not  penetrate  far,  for  the  ground  is  intersected  by 
canals  and  ditches,  and  the  Spanish  troops  in  tliis  quarter  opposed 
them  with  success,  and  forced  them  back.  Harispe,  however, 
upon  the  French  right,  pursued  the  Murcians  under  Mahy,  as 
far  as  Cotterroja,  on  the  road  to  Murcia.  Thus  he  was  already 
upon  Blake's  rear,  and  had  driven  one  division  of  his  army  away. 
When  Blake  found  the  Murcians  cut  off,  and  the  French  at  Cot- 
terroja, he  gave  up  tlie  struggle  near  Mislata,  withdrew  his 
forces,  and  entered  the  city.  Tlie  French  closely  invested  it 
the  same  evening.  Valencia  is  not  a  fortress :  it  is  a  large  city, 
with  a  lofty  wall  flanked  by  towers,  and  upon  the  soutli  side  has 
no  natural  defences.  However,  a  line  of  defensive  works  had 
been  erected  since  the  commencement  of  the  war,  to  cover  the 
city  and  the  suburbs.  Supplies  of  arms  and  ammunition  were 
provided  for  a  garrison,  however  large ;  and  the  artillery  collect- 
ed was  sufficient  to  arm  the  place  most  formidably. 

A  population  of  80,000  inhabitants  reposed  beliind  these  in- 
trenchments, and  they  were  protected  by  a  garrison  of  18,000 
troops.  Nevertheless  Blake  at  once  perceived  that  any  long  or 
effectual  resistance  to  a  besieging  force  would  bo  impossible. 
The  defences  were  weak  and  extensive ;  the  city  was  ill  pro- 
vided with  food ;  its  communication  with  the  sea  was  cut  off; 
and  thousands  of  fugitives  from  the  country  had  taken  refuge 
within  the  city,  and  swelled  a  population,  before  great,  so  largely 
as  to  threaten  famine,  tumult,  and  disease. 

Blake,  therefore,  upon  the  28th,  made  an  effort,  to  sally  out, 
and  force  a  way  for  his  army  to  the  open  field.  But  he  was  im- 
mediately driven  back  with  loss ;  and  discovered  that  Suchet's 
line  of  circumvallation  was  strong,  and  not  to  be  penetrated. 
Upon  the  night  of  the  1st  of  January,  Suchet  broke  ground  be- 
fore the  Spanish  advanced  line,  at  the  distance  of  180  yards.  Hw 
directed  liis  attacks  against  the  works  of  Mont  Olivete,  and  St« 
Vicente.  In  four  days  the  Spaniards  abandoned  the  advanced 
line,  and  retired  within  the  walls. 

The  French  marshal  now  bombarded  the  city,  and  puslied  his 
sap  to  the  very  wall.     Upon  the  8th  of  January,  Blake  capita- 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  0§ 

lated,  and  tlie  conqueror  of  Tarragona  became  master  of  Va- 
lencia. 

In  recording  these  events,  it  is  impossible  not  to  regret  Blake's 
absence  of  resource  and  skill ;  and  we  are  led  unavoidably  to 
contrast  the  citizens  of  Valencia  and  Zura^fossa. 

Blake,  an  honest  and  heroic  patriot,  was  eminently  unfortunate 
throughout  the  whole  course  of  tliis  melancholy  war ;  and  tliis 
was  the  gloomy  close  of  his  disastrous  military  career.  Suchet, 
the  talented,  brave,  and  severe  servant  of  a  warlike  tyrant,  here 
crowned  the  brilliant  successes  of  a  life  of  campaigns ;  was  rn^g 
warded  by  a  dukedom ;  and  had  his  rich  portion  among  the 
gardens  of  Valencia. 


CHAP,  VII. 

THE  SIEGES  AND  CAPTURE  OF  CIUDAD  RODRIGO  AND  OF  BADAJOS. 

The  winter  season  was  now  come :  tlie  allied  army  lay  quiet 
in  cantonments ;  a  part  of  it,  indeed,  in  stations  remote  from  the 
frontier.  General  officers  and  others  applied  to  lord  Wellington 
for  leave  of  absence  on  iheir  private  affairs,  and  obtained  it; 
wliile  the  troops  in  quarters  reckoned  upon  a  long  interval  of 
repose  before  the  ne.xt  campaign. 

Satisfied  by  these  ajjpearances,  Marmont  had  detached  three 
divisions  of  infiintry  and  a  body  of  horse  to  Valencia;  suffered 
count  Dorsenne  to  move  anotiicr  to  the  Asturios ;  while  a  fifth 
division  was  ordered  to  scour  the  province  of  Las  JMontanae, 
and  the  remaining  divisions  were  put  into  cantonments  on  the 
Tagus. 

By  the  middle  of  November  the  works  of  Almeida,  which  the 
French  ha^l  destroyed,  were  again  in  a  defensible  condition.  In 
tliis  fortress  a  battering  train  and  siege  stores  were  cxpixiitiously 
collected  ;  a  measure  wliich,  being  represented  and  considered 
as  neces-sary  for  tlie  armament  of  Almeida,  excited  little  curiosity 
eitiier  among  the  inhiibitants  or  the  soldiers.  'J'licir  true  desti- 
nation was  susj)ected  by  a  low  officers  of  the  staff,  and  of  neces- 
sity confided  to  otliers.  Secrecy  and  dispatch  are  the  life  of 
enterprise,  and  the  fidelity  and  zeal  of  all  engaged  are  necessary 
to  insure  success. 

Upon  the  Agueda  there  are  several  fords,  but  the  best  is  so 
close  to  Ciudad  Uo<lrigo  as  to  be  commanded  by  musketry  from 
the  wall.  None  of  these  [xissages,  however,  are  to  be  depended 
upon  in  winter,  as  the  river  will  otlentimes  rise  many  feet  in 
one  night.  Therefore  a  bridge  was  secretly  constructed  in  the 
arsenal  of  Almeida,  under  the  sujieriotendence  of  major  Slur- 


70  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

geon,  of  the  staff  corps.  It  measured,  on  the  platform,  400  feet 
m  length;  the  trestles  were  eighteen  in  number,  and  placed 
twenty-two  feet  asunder. 

When  this  important  work  was  nearly  finished,  the  troops 
lying  nearest  to  the  Agueda  received  orders  to  prepare  fascines 
and  gabions. 

Upon  the  6th  of  January,  all  things  were  ready  for  the  medi- 
tated attack  of  Rodrigo ;  the  bridge  was  laid  down  at  Salices ;  all 
the  stores  were  up  and  at  hand ;  and  the  place  was  already  shut 
in  by  the  guerillas.  On  this  day  head-quarters  moved  to  Gal- 
legos.  Upon  the  7th,  lord  Wellington  rode  across  the  Agueda, 
by  a  ford  about  two  miles  below  the  town,  and  proceeded  to 
reconnoitre  its  defences.  He  had  no  escort,  and  was  only  attended 
by  colonel  Fletcher  and  a  few  staff  officers. 

The  French,  since  they  had  taken  possession  of  Rodrigo,  had 
fortified  three  convents, — one  on  either  flank  of  the  suburbs, 
and  one  in  the  centre  ;  and  they  had  placed  an  infantry  post  in 
the  convent  of  Santa  Cruz,  just  beyond  the  glacis  at  the  north- 
west angle  of  the  place.  Thus  the  suburbs,  which  are  300  yards 
from  the  town,  and  inclosed  by  an  earthen  retrenchment,  were 
considered  secure  from  a  coup-de-main.  The  French  had  also 
erected  a  small  redoubt  on  the  upper  Teson,  a  height  distant 
about  600  yards  from  the  ramparts,  on  the  north  side,  and  thir- 
teen feet  above  their  level.  This  redoubt  was  supported  by  two 
guns  and  a  howitzer,  placed  upon  the  flat  roof  of  the  convent  of 
St.  Francisco,  at  a  distance  of  400  yards,  and  a  large  proportion 
of  the  artillery  of  the  place  was  in  battery  upon  this  approach. 
The  weather  was  severe  :  from  the  night  of  the  1st  of  January, 
mucli  snow  had  fallen,  and  lay  deep.  -To  this  fall  of  snow 
succeeded  gales  of  wind  and  sleet.  The  weather  moderated  a 
little  on  the  5th,  and  the  investment,  which  had  from  these  causes 
been  a  little  delayed,  was  fixed  for  the  Stli. 

Four  divisions  were  assembled  for  the  service  of  the  siege. 
They  had  no  camp  equipage ;  and  there  was  no  cover  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  place.  In  order,  therefore,  that  the 
men  might  suffer  as  little  as  possible  from  exposure  at  that 
inclement  season,  they  were  cantoned  in  the  nearest  villages. 

The  duties  before  the  place  were  taken  by  the  divisions  in 
regular  succession;  each  remaining  twenty-four  hours  on  the 
ground,  and  furnishing  the  guards  and  working  parties  for  that 
period. 

At  daylight,  on  the  8th,  a  large  train  of  cars,  with  engineers' 
stores,  crossed  the  bridge  at  Marialva,  near  Salices,  and  were 
parked  in  a  concealed  situation  about  a  mile  from  the  fortress. 
At  noon,  the  light  division  crossed  the  Agueda,  at  the  fords  of 
La  Caridad,  and  invested  the  place. 

At  eight  in  the  evening,  lieutenant-colonel  Colborne,  witli 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  71 

three  companies  of  the  52d  regiment,  stormed  the  redoubt  on  tlie 
upper  Teson.  It  was  carried  with  some  loss,  and  ground  was 
immediately  broken  upon  its  flank.  The  soil  was  stony ;  but,  by 
daylight,  the  work  of  the  night  was  already  three  feet  deep  and 
four  wide.  On  the  night  of  the  9th,  the  first  parallel  was  estab- 
lished, and  the  batteries  traced  out.  They  were  three  in  num- 
ber, and  traced  for  eleven  guns  each. 

One  thousand  men  were  employed  on  the  batteries,  the 
approaches,  and  the  magazines.  The  garrison  threw  a  great 
many  shells,  and  kept  up  a  well-supported  fire  of  round  shot ;  by 
which,  so  accurate  at  last  was  their  range,  the  workmen  suflTered 
greatly,  especially  in  the  batteries.  They  also  fired  shells  filled 
with  powder,  and  having  long  fusees,  in  salvoes :  these,  falling 
into  the  parapets,  blew  away,  in  an  instant,  tlie  work  of  hours. 
From  the  vigorous  fire  of  the  place,  the  severity  of  the  cold,  and 
the  incessant  fatigue  of  the  besiegers,  the  progress  of  the  work 
was  slow. 

On  the  night  of  the  13th,  the  convent  of  Santa  Cruz,  on  the 
right  of  the  attack,  was  cscaladed  and  carried ;  a  lodgment  was 
made  in  it,  and  a  communication  established  by  tlie  flying  sap. 

At  noon,  on  the  14tli,  during  the  relief  of  the  divisions,  the 
garrison  made  a  sortie,  and  succeeded  in  upsetting  most  of  tlie 

fabions  placed,  during  the  preceding  night,  in  advance  of  tlie 
rst  parallel ;  but  they  were  repulsed  from  tlie  batteries  by  the 
steadiness  of  a  few  workmen  under  an  officer  of  engineers ;  and, 
on  the  advance  of  the  relieving  division,  they  retired  into  the 
town  with  little  loss. 

Lord  Wellington,  receiving  intelligence  tliat  Marmont  was 
already  in  motion,  decided  upon  forming  a  breach  from  the  first 
batteries;  and  upon  storming  the  place,  with  the  counterscarp 
entire,  if  he  should  be  pressed  by  the  advance  of  the  enemy  in 
strengtii. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  14th,  tlie  batteries  opened  their  fire 
in  breach ;  but,  before  it  was  steady  «md  correct,  darkness 
obliged  them  to  cease.  At  night  the  fortified  convent  of  San 
Francisco,  which  flanked  the  left  of  the  approaches,  was  carried 
by  escalade.  A  lodgment  was  thus  made  in  the  suburbs,  which 
were  from  henceforth  held  by  the  besiegers.  At  daylight,  on 
the  15th,  the  breacliing  batteries  resumed  their  fire  with  twenty- 
three  24-pounder8  and  two  18-pounders.  The  main  scarp  and 
fausse  braie  walls  were  considerably  shaken  by  sunset;  and  a 
new  battery  was  marked  out,  more  in  advance,  for  seven  24- 
j)oundcrs  to  establish  a  second  breach.  So  mucli  heart  was 
sliown  in  the  exertions  of  all,  of  the  artillery  in  [Mirticular,  that, 
by  the  afternoon  of  the  19th,  two  good  broaches  were  established. 
Ixird  Wellington  reconnoitred  tlicm  closely ;  and  being  satisfietl 
that  tiiey  were  practicable,  he  directed  the  fire  of  the  batteries 


72  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

to  be  ^med  a^inst  the  enemy's  defences,  and  decided  upon 
storming  the  place  that  evening.  Seated  upon  the  reverse  of 
one  of  the  advanced  approaches,  he  wrote  the  orders  for  the  as- 
sault ;  accompanying  them  with  a  clear  minute  detail  of  the  ar- 
rangements. The  large  breach  measured  100  feet  in  front,  the 
lesser  thirty.  The  division  of  general  Picton  was  to  assault  the 
former;  the  light  division,  under  Crawfurd,  the  latter:  a  body 
of  Portuguese,  under  general  Pack,  were  to  create  a  diversion 
by  threatening  to  escalade  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  city. 

At  the  appointed  hour,  the  leading  columns,  preceded  by 
sappers  carrying  bags  filled  with  hay,  to  cast  into  the  ditch,  ad- 
vanced to  the  assault.  As  soon  as  the  sappers  had  thus  reduced 
the  depth  of  the  ditch,  and  fixed  the  ladders  on  the  bags,  the 
brigade  of  general  M'Kinnon  descended  into  the  ditch  opposite 
the  great  breach.  As  they  did  so,  hundreds  of  shells,  and  other 
combustibles,  arranged  along  the  foot  of  the  breach,  suddenly 
exploded:  these  had  been  prematurely  fired,  and  rather  ani- 
mated than  injured  the  assailants.  They  pushed  up  the  breach, 
and,  after  a  short  and  severe  struggle  with  the  defenders  at  the 
bayonet's  point,  gained  a  footing  on  the  summit.  But,  though 
they  crowned  the  rampart,  an  entrance  was  yet  to  be  won,  for 
they  found  traverses  thrown  up  on  either  side ;  the  way  before 
them  strongly  retrenched,  and  the  enemy  defending  the  passage 
with  a  hot  fire  of  musketry.  The  third  division  maintained  this 
desperate  struggle  with  an  unconquerable  resolution. 

While  the  fight  was  thus  loud  and  fierce  upon  the  main 
breach,  the  lesser  was  assailed  boldly  by  a  brigade  of  the  light 
division,  and,  having  no  interior  defences,  was  carried  instantly. 
These  troops,  with  admirable  discipline  and  good  order,  had  no 
sooner  passed  the  breach,  than  they  formed  up  regularly,  and 
were  led  on  in  a  compact  column  upon  the  rear  of  the  garrison, 
whose  main  attention  was  engaged  by  the  defence  of  their  re- 
trenchment. But,  while  the  light  troops  were  advancing  with 
this  object,  the  gallant  third  division,  having  extended  their  efibrts 
along  the  parapet,  on  both  flanks  of  the  main  breach,  and  main- 
tained themselves  stoutly  in  front  of  it,  the  retrenchment  was 
already  turned,  and  tJie  enemy  hastily  abandoned  it,  exploding  a 
quantity  of  powder  in  its  ditch,  by  which  the  gallant  M'Kinnon, 
and  many  of  his  brave  men,  perished.  Thus,  nearly  at  the 
same  moment,  both  breaches  were  forced.  The  garrison  now 
dispersed,  each  seeking  his  own  safety ;  and  they  were  pursued 
from  street  to  street,  and  from  one  refuge  to  another,  till  all 
were  made  prisoners. 

Very  few  were  put  to  the  sword,  for  the  victorious  soldiers 
behaved  to  them  not  only  with  forbearance  but  friendliness. 
But  the  city  shared  the  common  and  melancholy  fate  of  all 
places  taken  by  storm.     The  captors  revelled  in  tlie  license  of 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  73 

the  hour ; — they  drank ;  they  plundered  public  stores  and  private 
dwellings ;  and,  in  the  frenzy  of  intoxication,  they  committed 
many  acts  of  senseless  and  wajiton  destruction. 

The  loss  of  the  allies  on  this  memorable  service  was,  of 
necessity,  severe.  Nine  officers  and  217  men  were  slain,  and 
84  officers  and  1000  men  wounded.  Of  these,  more  than  one 
half  fell  in  the  assault.  Only  six  officers  were  killed  in  the  act 
of  stonnintr;  but  of  this  small  number,  two  were  generals;  tlie 
one  a  gallant  officer  of  tlie  highest  promise,  and  the  other  a 
leader  of  acknowledged  ability  and  established  fame.  The 
names  of  M'Kinnon  and  Crawfurd  are  to  be  seen  upon  the  walls 
in  that  stately  dome,  where  England  places  votive  tablets  to  tJie 
memory  of  her  lierocs.     At  Ciudad  Rodrigo  they  fell. 

The  consequences  of  this  victory  were  most  important.  The 
immediate  fruits  were  1500  prisoners,  more  than  300  pieces  of 
cannon,  a  battering  train  complete,  an  armory  of  small-arms,  a 
well-supplied  arsenal,  and  military  stores  of  all  descriptions. 
Marshal  Marmont  had  collected  ()0,000  men,  and  was  advancing 
to  tlie  relief  of  the  place,  nothing  doubting  of  his  success,  when 
intelligence  was  brought  him  that  the  British  flag  was  flynig  on 
tlie  walls ;  that  the  trenches  were  filled  in  ;  and  the  Jjreaches 
were  already  in  a  defensible  state. 

Angry  and  baffled,  the  Frenchman  retired.  He  had  written 
to  Bertliier  on  tlie  IGtiiof  January,  stating  his  strength,  and  the 
object  of  Jiis  march  ;  and  bade  him  expect  events  as  fortunate  as 
glorious  for  the  French  army,  lie  had  now  to  report  his  disap- 
pointment He  did  so  in  a  disjmtch ;  in  which,  after  stating  the 
shortness  of  tlie  siege,  and  the  success  of  tlie  assault,  lie  added, 
"  There  is  something  so  incomprehensible  in  this,  that  I  allow 
myself  no  observation." 

The  capture  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo  was  indeed  a  very  proud 
achievement — most  honorable  to  all  tlie  officers  and  troops  em- 
ployed ;  and  an  enterprise  so  secretly  prepared  for,  so  suddenly 
commenced,  and  so  brilliantly  concluded,  not  only  astonislied  tlie 
French  marshals  in  SjMiin,  but  all  those  freiiciiified  politicians  at 
home,  to  whom  it  was  a  constant  and  a  mean  delight  to  disparage 
the  fame  of  Wellington,  and  the  glory  of  tiie  British  arms. 

The  news  was  received  at  Cadiz  witii  the  most  grateful  and 
generous  enthusiasm.  Tlie  cortez  conferred  upon  lord  Welling- 
ton the  rank  of  a  grandee  of  Spain  of  the  first  class,  with  the 
title  of  Duke  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo ;  the  proposal  was  received  by 
that  assembly  witli  tlie  liveliest  joy,  and  carried  by  acclamation. 
-  In  England,  the  government  manifested  a  due  sense  of  the 
importance  of  tliis  service.  Lord  Wellington  was  raised  to  an 
earldom  by  command  of  tlie  regent,  and  |)arlianient  settled  on 
him  20001.  a  year  for  the  maintenance  of  tliat  dignity.  The 
army  also  was  honored  with  a  vote  of  thanks.    How  well  these 

Vou  XL  G 


74  MILITARY  MEMOIES  OF 

honors  and  rewards  were  bestowed,  was  yet  more  fully  shown 
in  the  events  which  followed.  ' 

No  sooner  was  Rodrigo  rendered  thoroughly  defensible,  than 
it  was  delivered  over  to  the  Spaniards,  and  once  more  occupied 
by  a  garrison  and  a  governor  of  that  nation.  Lord  Wellington, 
being  now  freed  from  any  anxiety  for  the  present  safety  of  this 
recovered  fortress,  directed  all  his  thoughts  and  efforts  to  the 
recapture  of  Badajos. 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  March  that  he  made  his 
final  arrangements  with  the  Spanish  governor,  general  Vivas, 
and  that  he  directed  lieutenant-colonel  Fletcher  to  give  up  the 
charge  of  the  fortifications  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo  to  the  Spanish 
engineer,  general  Calvet.  It  was  in  the  afternoon  of  this  same 
day  that  head-quarters  commenced  their  march  for  the  Alemteja 

Several  divisions  of  the  army  were  already  in  movement  in 
the  same  direction.  On  the  11th  of  March  head-quarters  were 
established  at  Elvas,  and  the  troops  from  the  north  were  collected 
in  convenient  cantonments  on  the  frontier  of  Spanish  Estrema- 
dura.  It  had  been  long  confidentially  known  to  the  heads  of 
the  commissariat,  artillery,  and  engineer  departments  that  the 
siege  of  Badajos  would  be  undertaken  ;  and,  on  the  fall  of  Rod- 
rigo, the  most  active  preparations  were  made  for  that  service. 

As  long  before  as  December  a  secret  order  was  sent  to  an 
officer  at  Lisbon  to  prepare  for  service  twenty-four  pontoons  to 
form  a  bridge  at  Abrantcs.  Upon  the  26th  of  January,  the  pre- 
liminaries for  besieging  Badajos  were  most  carefully  arranged 
with  the  commanding  engineer  by  lord  Wellington. 

A  battering  train  was  embarked  at  Lisbon  in  large  vessels, 
which  put  out  to  sea ;  and  there  it  was  received  on  board  small 
craft ;  and  being  conveyed  up  the  river  Caldao  to  Alcacer  do 
Sul,  was  there  landed,  and  transported  on  country  carriages 
across  the  Alemtejo  to  the  banks  of  the  Guadiana.  On  the 
arrival  of  head-quarters  at  Elvas,  the  preparations  were  found  to 
be  in  a  most  forward  state.  The  tools  and  stores  had  all  "arrived; 
the  bridge  apparatus  from  Abrantes  was  up  and  in  good  condi- 
tion ;  and  from  3000  to  4000  gabions  and  fascines  had  been  pre- 
pared by  the  Portuguese  soldiers  at  Elvas,  or  rather  in  the  woods 
around.  The  whole  of  the  ordnance  was  parked  upon  the  glacis 
of  that  fortress.  The  train  consisted  of  sixteen  24-pounders, 
twenty  18-pounders  procured  from  Lisbon,  and  sixteen  iron 
24-pound  howitzers  brought  from  Almeida.  These  vast  means 
being  happily  collected,  and  all  the  minor  preparations  complete, 
a  pontoon  bridge  was  laid  down  over  the  Guadiana  on  the  15th 
of  March ;  and  also  a  flying  bridge  was  established,  formed  by 
two  large  Spanish  boats.  That  evening  general  le  Marchant 
passed  the  river  with  a  brigade  of  cavalry ;  and,  on  the  16th, 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  75 

marshal  Beresford  crossed  the  bridge  with  12,000  men,  and 
invested  Badajos,  on  tlie  souUi  side,  without  any  opposition. 

This  force  consisted  of  tlie  light,  third  and  fourth  divisions  of 
the  army  under  lieutenant-colonel  Barnard,  generals  Picton  and 
Colville.  The  remaining  divisions,  under  generals  Graham  and 
Hill,  advanced  considerably ;  occupied  Merida,  Llerena,  and  Al- 
mendralejo ;  and  thus  covered  the  besieging  force,  and  lay  ready 
in  the  field  observing  tlie  army  of  Soult.  This  marshal  had 
35,000  men  under  his  orders;  Marmont  a  much  stronger  army; 
and,  as  it  was  their  duty  to  combine  operations,  and  succor 
Badajos,  few  expected  that  the  fortress  would  be  allowed  to  fall 
without  a  battle. 

Lord  Wellington  and  the  commanding  engineer  made  a  close 
and  leisurely  reconnoissimce  of  the  place.  They  discovered  that 
the  defences  liad  been  very  materially  improved  and  strength- 
ened. The  scarps  were  many  of  them  heightened,  the  outworks 
strongly  finished,  and  a  portion  of  tiie  enceinte  was  covered  by 
an  impassable  inundation.  They  had  also  put  tlie  castle  in  such 
a  state  of  de^nce,  that  no  thought  of  a  regular  attack  upon  it 
could  be  entertained.  For  it  should  be  remembered  tlie  British 
army  had  no  miners ;  sappers  without  experience ;  no  mortars ; 
and -a  very  inadequate  proptjrtion  of  guns  for  tJie  siege  of  such  a 
well  armed  and  well  provided  fortress, — a  fortress  wliich  tlie 
governor  had  twice  successfully  defended  when  in  a  condition 
less  formidable,  and  with  a  garrison  less  select  and  efficient  than 
that  now  confided  to  him. 

To  reduce  Badajos  by  a  regular  attack  was  not  possible  for 
the  British  commander.  He  had  not  the  means ;  he  had  not  tlie 
time  necessary  for  so  a  patient  a  process. 

The  decision  of  his  own  mind,  tiie  boldness  of  his  soldiers,  and 
the  zeal  of  his  devoted  officers,  were  iiis  resources,  and  tlicy  did 
not  fail  him.  In  llie  night  between  the  17th  and  18th  of  March, 
under  a  lieavy  and  tempestous  rain,  ground  was  broken  witliin 
160  yards  of  a  detached  fort  called  the  Picarina,  and  before  day- 
light the  a]>proaclies  were  three  feet  deep ;  nor  had  the  work- 
men been  discovered. 

During  the  18th  the  work  went  forward ;  the  weather  was 
wet  and  windy  ;  the  enemy  endeavored  to  hinder  flie  progress 
of  the  lalwrs  by  a  fire  of  musketry  and  fiold-pieces  from  Pica- 
rina, and  by  a  cannonade  from  the  ramparts  of  tlie  town ;  but 
tlie  casualties  were  few,  and  the  interru})tion  little. 

On  the  lOtii,  the  fire  of  artillery  from  the  town  was  very 
heavy  ;  and  in  the  afternoon  the  garrison  made  a  sortie  with 
1500  infantry  and  40  horse.  The  working  parties  were  surprised 
and  driven  out  of  the  jmrallel  for  a  few  minutes,  but  were  soon 
rallied ;  and  tlie  enemy,  being  fiercely  charged,  in  turn  retired. 
The  French  sappers  overtlirew  a  few  gabions,  and  carried  cff  a 


76  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

few  intrenching  tools,  but  did  very  little  injury  to  the  parallels. 
Much  confusion  was  caused  among  the  unarmed  men  in  the 
engineer's  park  by  the  few  French  cavalry,  but  no  stores  or 
materials  were  destroyed. 

The  loss  on  this  occasion  amounted  to  150  killed  and  wounded. 

Colonel  Fletcher,  the  commanding  engineer,  was  unfortunate- 
ly disabled,  by  a  musket-shot  in  the  groin,  from  continuing  his 
active  personal  superintendence:  but  lord  Wellington  had  so 
high  a  confidence  in  this  officer,  that  the  attack  was  still  contin- 
ued under  his  direction ;  and  the  commander-in-chief  came  to 
his  tent  every  morning,  accompanied  by  a  stafl-ofRcer,  with  the 
plan  of  the  work  executed,  and  in  progress,  and  concerted  with 
the  colonel  on  the  operations  for  the  day. 

The  rain  fell  in  torrents  on  the  evening  of  the  19th,  and 
throughout  the  night.  The  same  weather  continued ;  and  the 
duties  in  the  trenches  were  of  necessity  very  severe,  both  from 
the  long-continued  exposure  of  the  men,  and  the  little  progress 
which  could  be  made  in  low  ground  where  the  trenches  were 
full  of  water. 

On  the  22d,  the  Guadiana,  swollen  by  the  continued  rains, 
suddenly  rose  and  swept  away  the  pontoon  bridge,  eleven  of  the 
pontoons  sinking  at  their  anchors.  By  this  misfortune  the  diffi- 
culties of  supplying  the  army  with  provisions  and  military  stores 
were  so  great,  that  some  fear  was  entertained  it  would  become 
necessary  to  raise  the  siege.  However,  the  flying  bridges  were 
still  enabled  to  work,  though  slowly,  for  the  force  of  the  current 
greatly  impeded  them. 

The  workmen  were  nearly  knee-deep  in  the  trenches,  which 
ever,  as  they  were  cleared  of  water,  filled  again.  Nevertheless, 
the  troops,  being  full  of  confidence  in  the  firmness  of  their  leader, 
persevered  in  their  labors  with  good  heart ;  and  the  sight  of  their 
enemies,  and  the  sound  of  the  cannonade,  kept  their  minds  inter- 
ested and  engaged. 

In  the  night  between  the  24th  and  25th  of  March,  six  bat- 
teries were  completed  and  armed.  Ten  24-pounders,  eleven  18- 
pounders,  and  seven  howitzers  were  distributed  on  these  bat- 
teries; and  they  opened  their  fire  before  neon  on  the  25th. 
Two  of  these  batteries  bore  upon  Fort  Picarina,  and  tlie  re- 
mainder were  directed  against  the  supporting  defences  of  the 
place. 

The  guns  of  Picarina  were  soon  silenced,  but  the  defences  of 
the  work  itself  were  not  otherwise  much  injured :  a  few  pali- 
sades were,  indeed,  broken  down  in  the  covered  way ;  but  it 
was  in  a  state  to  resist  any  assault  less  determmed  than  that  to 
which  it  was  exposed. 

Lord  Wellington  directed  that  it  should  be  taken  that  night, 
and  charged  major-general  Kempt  with  the  details  of  the  exe- 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  77 

cution.  Five  hundred  men  of  the  third  division  were  appointed 
to  this  service.  One  detachment  of  200  men  was  ordered  to 
pass  round  the  flank  of  the  work,  and  force  tlie  gorge ;  while 
another  of  like  strength  was  to  marcli  upon  the  communication 
from  the  town,  and  posting  one  lialf  of  its  numbers  to  await  and 
resist  the  advance  of  any  succor,  was  to  supjxjrt  with  the  re- 
mainder tlie  attack  u{x)n  tlie  gorge.  A  reserve  of  100  men 
was  formed  in  tlie  advanced  battery,  ready  to  aid  these  attacks 
by  escalading  the  fronL 

At  ten  o'clock  at  night  the  signal  Avas  given,  and  tlie  troops 
advanced ;  the  reserve  being  formed  and  ready  at  its  post. 

The  fire  at  the  gorge  was  so  heavy,  and  tlie  obstacles  so  great, 
that,  despite  the  bravest  efforts,  it  was  found  im])ossible  to  force 
it.  Nevertheless,  that  half  of  the  second  detacliment,  which, 
in  obedience  to  its  orders,  had  supported  the  attack  of  the  gorge 
by  vain  attempts  to  get  over  the  palisades  under  the  enemy's 
fire,  searched  round  tiie  left  flank  for  a  favorable  place  to  rear 
their  ladders,  ran  bravely  up,  and  the  foremost  men  were  soon 
engaged  in  a  hot  and  very  doubtful  struggle. 

At  tliis  moment  general  Kempt  pushed  forward  the  reserve : 
they  escaladed  boldly ;  many  were  bayoneted  back ;  but  they 
fought  their  way  over  the  parapet,  and,  after  a  short  and  bloody 
combat  within,  the  work  was  taken. 

Alarums  were  sounded  in  the  town  ;  rockets  and  lights  were 
tlirown  up;  a  fire  opened  from  every  rampart,  as  if  in  dread  of 
a  coup-de-main ;  a  sortie  was  attempted  in  the  direction  of  Pica- 
rina,  but  instantly  repulsed. 

Of  the  garrison,  three  officers  and  eighty  men  were  made 
prisoners;  a  few  escaped  ;  several  were  drowned  in  an  endeavor 
V)  cross  the  inundation,  and  the  rest  were  slain.  Of  the  reso- 
lute assailants,  4  officers  and  50  men  were  killed,  15  ofiicers  and 
250  men  wounded. 

liord  Wellington  was  tlie  man  tliflroughly  to  appreciate  the 
valor  of  the  soldiers  employed  in  tliis  aflTiir,  and  to  estimate,  as 
it  deserved,  tlie  calm  and  admirable  coniluct  of  general  Kempt 

The  second  parallel  was  now  established  in  front  of  Picarina ; 
enfilading  and  breacliing  batteries  were  erected ;  and  a  fire  of 
g^eat  weight  was  directed  u\k>ii  the  solid  walls  of  Badiijos.  Ujxm 
the  morning  of  the  5t!i  of  April,  tlio  breaches  were  reported 
practicable  ;  in  the  main  broach  a  great  extent  of  wall  had 
fallen  ;  and  the  ascent  of  both  was  easy. 

Lord  Wellington,  who  began  now  to  be  pressed  for  time  by 
the  advance  of  Soult,  and  the  menacing  demonstrations  of  Mar- 
mont  on  the  frontier  of  Beira,  was  eager  for  the  assault,  and 
desired  tfi  storm  the  place  that  evening ;  but,  upon  a  close  re- 
connoiasancc  of  the  two  breaciios,  he  judged  that  tiiey  had  in- 
terior and  formidable  retrenchinonts,  and  for  twenty-tour  hours 
G2 


is  Military  IviEMoms  op 

he  deferred  the  attack.  He  employed  this  time  by  directing  the 
heaviest  possible  fire  to  be  turned  against  the  old  wall  of  the 
curtain  between  the  two  breaches,  so  that  a  third  opening  might 
be  obtained,  whereby  their  retrenchments  could  be  turned. 

The  fifth  division  of  the  army,  which  had  been  left  in  Beira, 
had  been  lately  withdrawn  from  that  province,  and  joined  the 
besieging  force  at  this  period. 

The  covering  army,  under  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  retired  leisurely 
before  Soult ;  two  arches  of  the  bridge  at  Merida  were  blown 
up,  and  that  general  took  jwst  at  Talavera. 

The  masonry  of  the  old  curtain  being  exposed  to  the  guns  of 
all  the  batteries,  soon  crumbled  under  their  fire,  and  a  third 
breach  was  thus  made  in  one  day.  Lord  Wellington  now  in- 
stantly gave  orders  for  tlie  assault.  It  took  place  at  ten  o'clock 
on  the  night  of  the  6th  of  April,  at  the  appointed  moment. 

Two  divisions,  under  colonel  Barnard  and  general  Colville, 
were  directed  to  assault  the  breaches ;  general  Picton,  with  his 
division,  was  appointed  to  escalade  the  wall  of  the  castle ;  and 
general  Leith,  with  his,  to  scale  the  bastion  of  San  Vicente  at 
the  other  extremity  of  the  town. 

The  columns  moved  out  of  the  parallels  at  the  same  moment 
in  silent  order,  and  darkness  canopied  the  city.  Led  by  their 
steady  guides,  the  columns  destined  to  storm  the  breaches  no 
sooner  crowned  the  glacis,  and  came  upon  the  ditch,  than  a  light 
brighter  than  that  of  day,  but  of  another  sort,  illumined  all 
things ;  and  they  could  see  distinctly  the  armed  walls  and  tlie 
ready  foe.  A  line  of  levelled  muskets,  and  the  cannon  of  the 
ramparts,  already  pointed,  Aomited  forth  a  deadly  fire  ;  and,  amid 
the  lurid  splendor  of  countless  fire-balls,  war  clouds  of  a  pale 
and  leaden  hue  rose  thickly  into  upper  air. 

The  men  advanced  ;  they  leaped  into  the  covered  way  where 
the  palisades  had  been  destroyed  by  the  batteries.  Bags  filled 
with  hay  were  cast  into  the  ditch;  ladders  were  lowered;  and 
the  brave  assailants  hurried  down  the  counterscarp  into  the  ditch. 
It  was  soon  crowded  with  troops.  Suddenly  an  incredible  num- 
ber of  fougasses,  shells,  and  other  combustibles,  which  had  been 
laid  along  the  foot  of  the  breach  and  in  the  ditch,  were  fired  by 
the  garrison.  They  exploded  with  an  appalling  effect.  The  de- 
struction was  terrific,  and  the  confusion  unavoidable ;  yet  there 
was  no  pause  in  the  attack.  The  fourth  division  pressed  boldly 
up  a  ruinous  and  unfinished  ravelin,  mistaking  it  for  the  breach- 
No  sooner  were  they  on  the  summit,  than  they  found  that  a  dif- 
ficult descent  yet  separated  them  from  the  breach,  and  they 
stood  exposed,  to  the  very  feet,  to  the  small-arms  of  the  garrison. 
A  hot  fire  was  opened  on  them,  which,  witliout  orders, "they  be- 
gan to  return.  The  head  of  the  light  division  being  led,  amid 
all  the  smoke  and  noise,  a  little  too  far  to  the  rigiit,  here  joined 


THE  DtTKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  79 

the  fourth ;  and  the  officers  had  great  difficulty  in  restoring  order, 
and  leading  the  men  to  the  true  points  of  attack. 

They  did  so  with  a  gallantry  and  zeal  never  surpassed,  and 
led  up  to  the  breaches  with  devoted  heroism.  But  the  main 
breach  was  found  strongly  retrenched :  over  the  greater  part  of 
its  face,  planks,  studded  with  iron  spikes  like  harrows,  had  been 
laid  down  after  dark ;  and  chevaux-de-frise,  formed  of  sword- 
blades,  were  fixed  strongly  along  the  summit.  The  boldest 
hearts,  the  strongest  arms,  were  unable  to  force  a  way  past  ob- 
stacles like  tliese.  The  gallant  groups,  as  they  came  upon  these 
defences,  were  stayed.  Volleys  of  musketry  were  showered 
upon  tiiem  from  the  ramparts,  and  they  all  fell  slain  or  disabled 
upon  the  rubbish. 

Long  after  the  breach  was  found  to  be  impracticable,  and  the 
idea  of  attempting  it  was  abandoned,  the  work  of  destruction 
went  on.  The  brave  men,  who  could  not  advance,  and  would 
not  retire,  clustered  near  the  unfinished  ravelin,  and  the  traverses 
in  the  ditch,  and  met  confused  and  bloody  deaths. 

"  Never,"  says  colonel  Jones,  "  probably  never,  since  the  dis- 
covery of  gunpowder,  were  men  more  seriously  exposed  to  its 
action.  Shells,  hand-grenades,  every  kind  of  burning  compo- 
sition, and  missiles  of  every  hellish  variety,  were  hurled  into  the 
ditcii.  The  roll  of  musketry  was  incessant;  and  the  night  was 
now  light  with  the  most  dazzling  fires,  and  now  black  with  utter 
darkness." 

Perhaps  there  was  never  a  moment  in  the  life  of  Wellington 
that  he  more  deeply  felt  for  his  intrepid  soldiers  than  when  the 
reports  were  brought  to  him  of  this  state  of  things  at  the 
breaches. 

About  midnight  this  report  was  made,  and,  yielding  to  the  se- 
vere necessity,  lord  Wellington  gave  orders  to  withdraw  those 
divisions,  and  to  form  them  again  a  little  before  daylight  for  a 
fresh  effort.  It  was  at  this  moment  that  a  report  came  in  from 
general  Picton.  The  castle  was  taken.  The  escalade  had  been 
obstinately  opposed.  Ix)gs  of  wood,  large  stones,  loatled  shells, 
had  been  arranged  along  the  crest  of  the  parapet,  and  these 
were  rolled  off  upon  the  assailants  as  tiiey  sought  to  rear  their 
ladders.  All  the  men  who  first  ascended  such  as  were  fixed, 
fell  by  musketry  or  the  bayonet ;  but  their  comrades  boldly  and 
closely  followetl,  and  upon  the  summit  of  tlie  wall  tlie  British 
Ixiyonet  proved  tlie  better  weapon,  and  forced  ita  way.  The 
castle  was  taken.  Nor  was  tliis  a  solitary  success.  The  fiftli 
division,  under  general  T.eith,  ascended  the  bastion  of  San 
Vicente  with  like  intrepidity  and  like  reward.  As  soon  as  his 
first  brigade  was  formed  within  the  bastion,  it  moved  forward  to 
drive  the  defenders  from  the  breaches;  it  was  soon  discovered 
by  a  party  of  the  garrison,  most  briskly  assaulted,  and  driven 


80  MlLITAttV  MKMOIBfi  Of 

tnck,  iin/l<;r  tJio  itufir'-wxiori  that  a  (fr««l  f<rt'c«  wm  iijx/n  tbcrn, 
and  tli'ft  tJi';y  w<;r*j  a!r',Twly  tiirr»»j<l;  l/ul  Uii*  chf>f;k  w«u»  »}tf^rt, 
\ini  rniMt^iJi'!  «'/'rti  rufAiiUul,  ar»<J  th«;  r;i>inl«t  rcri'jwjd,  A  liattaluAi 
c;f'  til'!  '"JHUi  t'i%un':ui  li'vJ  (><;';«  torid'.'iJ  in  r'.'W'rrv,'  in  \hn  l«ijrt,i<jn 
(4  Hi.  V)c<jrit<j ;  with  lliix  Icj'iy,  '«ily  riurnlMrriiij^  yiM)  \m.yim':tH, 
aAoti'tl  Nujc-'nt  rcciivc"!  tli'j  cn'ruiy  with  a  K»^rfi<ly  vJUjy,  ajji] 
ciiarjfinK  Jiomc,  itiMAtiily  ovjrthrt'W  th'jtii.  'i'hc  brij^/wJc  wav 
advanc'i'l  t/marilx  Ih';  JwsujhfM.  'i'f»y  French  munntVmUAy 
•bari<lon<;(l  Ih'/tn,  arul  iimif}rti''A  Ihroiij^h  Ihfj  t/;wn ;  ori'j  IxxJy 
only,  nn'I'jr  I'hili|iiK;n  Ih';  Kt}\ri;nu)r,  rdinwJ  ovf-T  th«;  hri/Jjfc  t/j 
Fyrt  (yhri>rt<>vttl  fnr  th'j  ni(<ht,  anfJ  mirtfJuUinul  at  «JayIi(fhL  'I'Jie 
rert  of  th'j  i!ni;my'n  mMftrn  w<;r«;  all  imuUi  yrmiwr^  in  tJt';  city. 
The  fliviwiorw  whicli  fuxJ  «<>  (Iroii/Hully  Hii(H'r<,"l  now  rnarch';<J  in 
It  Ui';  hr<r4/;h';«,  thonj^h  it  wfw  ruA  with'^ut  (lilliculty  that  th«fy 
00ul<J  \n'»  th<;w.'  M/;»;iiinijl/tl/'!<l  i)\mUu:\i-M.  'J'h<;  third  tJivixi/rti 
had  hl')wn  o|><!n  th<;  <;iwtl')  s^aUjn,  and  d<.w;'!tid<;d  inW  the*  t/;wn. 

Bo/Jftj'w  w/w  tnk'jn,  'rhr<;<j  hiitidn;*]  and  K>:vittiUti;ti  t)iYirj:rn, 
HJJ44  ni'!n,  haxl  fallijn  in  th';  iwyiult.  Th';  fiMit  arwi  tli«  amxnt 
of  th')  main  ami  »«!f;<Mid  hr<;ach  wen;  h'MfK^l  with  xlain.  In  tJic 
onfiJHi'Hi  of  the  xUtnn,  th',*  hr<;n/;h  in  th';  curOtin  w  i>i  never  at- 
t/'inpted ;  tlie  f^nuUm  wi'.r<;  |>rol>ahly  kill<,'d,  and  the  way  wa» 
tinm"A.  'I'liiJii  thi«  f;>r«n(dal(le  pliw;e  wiw  f/.trru-A  at  tlie  nxnnent 
of'  tttwHilt,  n'>t  hy  th',*  hr<,"i!ch<;>«,  hut  hy  a  Ixd'l  and  Muecewfful 
(f»fjftta/l<!  of  two  di^Utnt  |xjinU»  where  the  deferjce*  were  ontirc. 
'J'he  w;iI1m  of  the  c»wthj  row  front  eitfht^-en  t^i  twenty-four  /ewt, 
ttti/l  it  wttK  deeni'i'l  w.'cure  from  ntfjicL  'J'he  Uuit-um  of  Hl 
Vieenf/!  h'til  an  ew.'ir|t  wall  twjnty  ll-et  in  p'-rfwridieiilar ;  and 
tli'j  i.ri)')\>4,  hav  I  '<  d  thin,  h;id  y.-t  twelve  f<j<'t  whieh  in- 

clined at  an  an  ;  I  pirai^t  U)  xnrnKiiint  hy  mrramhlinjf. 

IJi^th  h'T'!  arcJ  .,  :,,•    >  .  U';  fli"  • — ' "  (/the  Knrr'mm  wan 

cwwid'^nihl';,  anil  the  I'l-."*  ni'  '  .i»  trr<*at;  tun  do  the 

animU  ui'  warfare  record  any  <    ^  ■:  brilliant  than  thew 

ifallant  ewialad'.'H,  In  tlcwj  e(lorU<,  <(<;neral>«  I'icttm,  Colville, 
Kemfrt,  Walker,  and  JJ>wi!»wer«  w^urwled,  LieijUinant-c^lonel 
Macleod,  wmmanlin;^  the  4;kl,  and  maj<;r  O'llara  of  the  U'Tth, 
were  kilhid  at  the  hre'i';h'!i4. 

Th'To  \m  nothin.'f  in'tm  deejdy  hnmilititinj^  fx)  tnan,  or  morfj 
ni')rt,ifyin{<;  Ui  nnlilary  jjride,  thnn  U)  i'ltul  rohle  '|iinliiie«  aiul 
Ikw')  |rw;«ion«  in  th';  ';lo-«e  alliiinr;e  in  which  they  ar<!  Imi  oOen 
found.  It  m  tru',',  the  Hrilixh  wd'lierMdid  not  Htjiin  their  Iwyoneti" 
with  tlK)  hl'>'>'l  of  their  yieldinjf  and  cajjtive  enei/ii'-n;  and  out 
of  a  e-inlnred  tjarrijfon  lA'  4'XX)  men,  few,  if  a/iy,  were  put 
want/jniy  f/»  th'!  nword ;  hut  they  no  «fjoner  ffoi  int/j  the  place 
than  th'7  hndo  the  r',*inN  of  di>«;i|dine;  they  drank,  tJiey  plun- 
der<!il,  th"y  revdl'j'l  in  all  licentionwieMH ;  aiwl  tlieir  wild  orj^iew 
ofMl  franlie  isxcitmtim  were  continued  f'jr  many  Jw^urx  iM^-fi^re  their 
iioWo  commamier  c<;uld  jwtwihly  control  thcju.     TUm  wttj«,  at 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELUNQTON.  81 

last,  done  by  oxtmonlinary  mcnsiirrs  nnd  sovoro  cxuiuplos,  nnd 
by  briiij;iii<j  t'rrsli  ami  stoiuly  tiXHins  into  llie  town. 

Tlu;  prccnutionary  ordors  ot'  \\  olliiijrtou  Imil  boon  udiiiiniblo; 
nnd  liis  cxaniplo  nnd  oxerlions  nftor  the  ouptiiro  of  tlie  city 
\vt«ri»  ijrent,  as  woro  tlioso  ot'all  llu'  ollicors  uuJor  liis  comnianu. 
Hilt  the  plnndor  of  a  city  tiikon  liy  nasnnlt  aernis  to  imvo  been 
nmsidt^red,  t'mni  tiiuo  inuncniDrinl,  by  all  yt)ltliors,  n  privilejje. 
It  is  a  privilojje  dci'ply  dislionorablt)  to  the  pmfojiaion  ot'nrius; 
ilooply  injurious  to  j,fi>od  di^^•iplino;  nnd  which  is,  in  our  judgf- 
incnt,  tiiis(>Iy  roo-anlod  a.^  inso|)nrablo  from  tlio  confusion  of  a 
storm.  It  is  evident,  however,  that  a  Kmjf  nml  st(>a<ly  course  of 
disciidine,  obtainin;;  <j(Mierally  everywhcri!  tiiroii<jhout  the  armed 
force  of  a  nation,  and  enforced  by  the  moral  |K)wer  of  a  nation's 
voice,  can  nlone  elfect  the  imiwrtant  object  of  puttiny;  uu  cutLto 
tliis  horrid  custom. 

The  crimes  of  the  deepest  dyo  committwl  on  these  and  like 
awful  ocousions,  nro  invariably  the  work  of  ii  few;  but  the 
wanton  destruction  of  properly,  tiie  drinkinjr  and  the  bonlires  in 
the  streets,  are  ollences  participated  in  by  hundred.s  who  rusfi 
in  from  a  scene  of  bhxxl  and  jH'ril  drunk  w  itii  slaui,'hter  and 
piddy  with  success.  TJiis  we  say,  ns  nccouutiuji  for,  and  not 
excusinpf,  wickedness.  May  tlie  hint  of  this  humble  [hmi  full 
u|)on  the  heart  of  somo  youthful  Hriton,  destined  herenl\cr  to 
lead  our  armies  or  to  intluence  our  senate. 

Wo  return  from  this  brief  diijression,  sntisliod  timt  it  is  not 
misplaced  in  a  memoir  of  that  j^reat  man  whose  services  it  is 
our  hifjh  honor  to  record,  and  whoso  nctivo  and  humane  exertions 
Uf>on  the  capture  of  Si'rin}^n>atan»  tlie  reader  cannot  huvo  for- 
gotten. 

lI|Kin  tho  fall  of  Ikdajos,  Sonlt  led  Imck  the  army  of  the 
»iulh  to  Seville,  which  place  a  smalI*S|mnish  force  under  tho 
conde  do  I'enne  Villemur  was  already  menncinif.  'i'he  cnxTilry 
of  the  allies  fiillowcvl  Soult's  march,  and  jrained  s*.me  advnnto^ 
over  his  rear-jjuard  at  Idereiia.  U|K)n  the  llUh  of  .\pril,  Wel- 
liiiirton  was  a^'ain  in  motion  with  tlic  main- body  of  his  army,  to 
drive  .Marmont  from  Ik'ira. 

That  marshal  hud  advanced  IVom  Snlamnnca  while  Welliiiff- 
tou  was  brsiei,'iii;r  iliulajos;  liad  let\  iiih'  division  to  blockade 
riudad  UtMlrijr»>i  "ud  had  invested  Almeida  with  the  remainder 
of  his  force.  At^'r  vainly  endeavorinjj  to  alarm  the  ijovernor 
of  .Mmeida  by  the  demonstration  of  a  siuMen  assault,  lio  cross- 
ed the  Con  nt  Sabufjal,  dnne  awny  a  Ixnly  of  militia  which 
would  have  opi>ostxl  his  advance,  and  ivMietmfed  t«»  Caslello 
Hrnnco.     Hut  tl>r  the  sudden  nnd   un'\  11  of  Hadajos, 

and  the  approach  of  his  active  and  in  opiH>nent,  he 

would  have  pushed  on  to  Villa  Volhn,  to  inMioy,  il' |H)s.'<ible,  tho 


82  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

bridge.   He  now  retired  into  Spain,  taking  with  him  the  division 
he  had  left  before  Rodrigo. 

The  head-quarters  of  Wellington  were  again  established  at 
Fuente  Guinaldo,  and  the  allied  army  v\;is  again  cantoned  be- 
tween the  Agueda  and  the  Coa.  As  he  had  taken  care  to  form 
all  his  principal  magazines  north  of  tlie  Douro,  his  reduced  and 
exhausted  battalions  were  soon  and  abundantly  supplied  ;  nor  did 
the  irruption  of  Marmont  cause  greater  loss  than  the  destruction 
of  one  depot  at  Celerico,  whicli  had  been  hastily,  and  without 
necessity,  set  on  fire  when  he  advanced. 

To  invite  tlie  admiration  of  the  attentive  and  considerate 
reader  to  the  energy  and  genius  displayed  by  lord  Wellington, 
in  thus  suddenly  and  vigorously  wresting  from  the  enemy  the 
two  fortresses  of  Ciudad  liodrigo  and  Badajos,  is  unnecessary. 
Be  it  remembered,  that  these  successes  were  achieved  in  the 
face  of  two  powerful  armies,  whose  combined  strength,  had  they 
been  directed  with  an  ability  and  activity  akin  to  his  own,  must 
have  rendered  the  triumph  of  lord  Wellington  impossible. 

Napoleon  was  astonished  by  these  events,  and  he  was  ap- 
prized of  them  by  reports  which  exhibited  too  plainly  the  con- 
fusion and  mortification  of  his  chosen  generals.  His  mind  was 
already  bent  upon  a  rupture  with  Russia ;  and  he  had  for  seve- 
ral months  conducted  iiis  negotiations  with  the  czar  with  little 
sincerity  and  much  reservation.  He  had  counted  on  very  dif- 
ferent results  in  the  Peninsula.  Portugal  had  been  delivered 
from  his  armies ;  Spain  was  unsubdued  ;  and  her  banners  again 
floated  upon  two  fortresses,  which  French  soldiers  had  vainly 
defended  against  "  the  hideous  leopard."  A  triumphant  march 
to  the  northern  extremity  of  Europe  had  now  captivated  his 
imagination.  The  prospect  dazzled  his  sight,  and  he  became 
blind.  It  presented  a  gratification  to  his  pride  not  to  be  foregone ; 
and  he  was,  for  a  moment,  willing  to  relax  his  hold  on  Spain, 
that  he  might  pursue  the  new  object  of  his  ambition. 

"  France,"  said  Najwleon,  in  a  communication  to  the  English 
government  after  the  fall  of  Badajos,—"  France  shall  renounce 
all  idea  of  extending  her  dominions  beyond  the  Pyrenees.  The 
present  dynasty  shall  be  declared  independent,  and  Spain  shall 
be  governed  by  a  national  constitution  of  her  cortez."  When 
the  precise  meaning  of  these  expressions  was  demanded  by  the 
British  cabinet,  he  liaughtily  recovered  himself,  insisted  on  the 
recognition  of  Joseph  as  king  of  Spain,  and  abruptly  closed  the 
negotiation. 

Tluis,  with  a  violent  and  indomitable  spirit,  he  would  still 
hold  Spain,  although  the  hand  with  which  he  grasped  it  was  al- 
ready torn  and  bleeding,  while,  with  the  other  armed,  he  was 
strikuig  at  the  imperial  crown  of  all  the  Russias. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  83 


CHAP.  VIII. 

LORD    WELLINGTON    DIRECTS   GENERAL    HILL   TO    DESTROY   THE   ENEMY's 

BRIDGE  AT  ALMARAZ. GENERAL  HILL  TAKES  FORTS  NAPOLEON  AND  RA- 

GUSA,  AND  BURNS  THE  BRIDGE. LORD  WELLINGTON  ADVANCES  TO  SAL- 
AMANCA.  TAKES    THE    FORTIFIED   CONVENTS    IN    THAT  CITV MANffiU- 

VRES    ON     THE    DOURO BEATS     MARMONT     IN     BATTLE MARCHES     TO 

MADRtD. 

Heajj-quarters,  as  was  stated  in  last  chapter,  were  again 
established  at  Fuente  Guinaldo,  and  the  allies  were  again  can- 
toned between  the  Agucda  and  the  Coa ;  but  their  active  and 
indefatigable  leader  was  busied  in  preparing  for  them  a  new 
field  of  glory,  and  for  himself  a  new  title  to  renown.  The 
French  armies  of  the  north  and  south  had  a  constant,  ea.sy,  and 
secure  connnunication  by  a  bridge  of  boats  upon  the  Tagus  at 
Almaraz.  To  destroy  this  bridge  was  absolutely  necessary  be- 
fore lord  Wellington  could  act  oftensively  against  Marniont  with 
prudence;  for  that  marshal  could  readily  a.ssemble  more  tlian 
•50,000  men  to  oppose  him,  while  in  the  south  marshal  Soult 
commanded  a  force  of  .58,000  men.  The  army  immediately 
under  Wellington  could  only  muster  39,000  bayonets  and  .'JOOO 
horse ;  for  it  was  necessary  to  leave  a  strong  corps  of  observa- 
tion in  Spanish  Estremadura.  This  corps  consisted  of  10,000 
infantry  and  1200  iiorse,  under  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  and  lay  at  Al- 
mcndralcjo  and  its  vicinity,  patroling  towards  Seville,  and  ob- 
serving the  movements  of  marshal  Soult.  Lord  Wellington, 
having  resolved  upon  his  plan  of  operations,  directed  Sir  Ilow- 
land  to  destroy  the  bridge  at  Almaraz.  That  officer  performed 
the  service  intrusted  to  iiim  with  his  customary  zeal,  vigor,  and 
good  fortune.  It  was  known  that  tlie  bridge  was  defended  on 
both  sides  of  the  river  by  very  formidable  works  and  a  sufficient 
garrison.  Therefore  a  considerable  equipment  of  artillery  and 
engineers'  means  was  necessary  to  the  success  of  the  under- 
taking. These,  consisting  of  si.x  24-pounder  howitzers,  with 
the  necessary  ammunition  stores;  of  six  jwntoons  ;  and  of  twelve 
ladders  thirty  feet  in  length  ;  were  brouglit  up  from  Elvos  to 
Merida  by  Montijo.  Tiie  two  arclies  of  the  old  bridge  at  Mo- 
rida,  which,  as  has  been  related,  had  been  destroyed,  were  now 
hastily  repaired  witli  sucli  materials  as  some  ruined  buildings 
near  tlio  spot  supplied  ;  and,  on  tlic  12tii  of  May,  tiie  infimtry 
and  cavalry  destined  for  this  service  mnrclicd  from  Almendralejo, 
filed  over  the  bridge,  and  the  wliolc  force  together  with  its 
equipment  was  assembled  in  that  place. 

Tlic  works  at  Almaraz  had  been  constructed  with  skill  and 
care.  On  tiie  right  of  tiie  river  was  a  redoubt  for  400  men 
called  Fort  Rogiisa,  with  a  masonry  tower  of  considerable 


84  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

height,  and  loop-holed,  in  the  interior.  This  work  not  standing 
sufficiently  close  to  the  bridge,  was  flanked  by  a  fleche  con- 
structed on  the  river  bank.  Upon  the  left  bank  of  the  river  the 
bridge  was  defended  by  a  strong  Vv-ell  flanked  tete  de  pont; 
while  upon  some  heights,  rising  immediately  near,  was  a  re- 
doubt for  450  men,  called  Fort  Napoleon.  This  work,  like  that 
on  the  right  bank,  had  a  loop-holed  tower,  twenty-five  feet  high 
in  the  interior. 

The  road  to  Almaraz  from  the  south,  crosses  a  range  of  diffi- 
cult mountains,  about  four  miles  from  the  bridge,  and  descends 
continually  towards  the  river  from  one  lofty  point,  marked  by 
the  old  tower  of  Miravete.  This  tower,  which  stands  near  the 
road,  the  French  had  fortified  ;  surrounding  it  by  a  lower  wall 
and  rampart,  and  arming  it  with  several  pieces  of  ordnance. 
Upon  the  road,  at  a  little  distance,  stands  a  solitary  inn.  This 
house  and  the  tower  they  had  connected  by  works  into  a  line  of 
defence  so  strong,  that  to  force  the  pass  and  make  a  way  for  the 
advance  of  artillery  was  not  possible.  Not  expecting  to  find  the 
enemy's  preparations  at  all  points  so  very  complete.  Sir  Rowland 
Hill  had  so  arranged  his  movements  on  tJie  evening  of  the  16th, 
as  to  carry  the  castle  of  Miravete  with  one  column ;  to  force  the 
high  road  witli  a  second ;  and  with  the  third  to  cross  the  sierra 
at  the  pass  of  Cueva  considerably  to  Ids  right,  and  descend  at 
the  same  moment  upon  Almaraz. 

With  these  intentions  he  marched,  upon  the  evening  of  the 
16th,  from  his  ground  near  Jaraicejo;  but  the  column  which 
marched  by  the  pass  of  Cueva  was  so  delayed  that  it  was  broad 
daylight  before  it  had  descended  half-way  to  Almaraz ;  it  was 
therefore  halted  and  countermarched.  The  first  and  second 
columns  had  found  both  the  castle  of  Miravete  and  the  pass  of 
Miravete  in  a  state  of  defence  which  could  not  justify  an  attack 
with  any  reasonable  hope  of  success ;  as  the  surprise  of  the  re- 
doubt below  was  at  tliat  moment  out  of  the  question.  The  three 
brigades  bivouacked  on  the  mountain  the  day  and  night  of  the 
17th  ;  and  upon  that  day  and  the  following  the  whole  range  of 
Miravete  was  examined  with  care  to  find  some  passage  for  the 
guns  ;  and  the  castle  and  road  were  reconnoitred  witli  a  closer 
scrutiny ;  but  not  a  hope  was  left  of  forcing  the  pass,  nor  was 
any  spot  found  upon  the  ridge  where  artillery  could  either  be 
passed  or  lowered.  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  disappointed  but  not  dis- 
pirited, resolved  instantly  upon  one  of  tliose  bold  and  dashing 
efforts,  which,  though  they  cannot  command  success,  deserve  it. 

At  nine  in  the  evening  of  the  18th,  he  led  a  brigade  down  tliQ 
sierra,  by  a  goats'  path,  through  Romangorda  ;  and  at  daybreak 
the  head  of  his  column  was  halted  in  a  concealed  position,  about 
800  yards  from  Fort  Napoleon.  It  was  nearly  eight  o'clock  be- 
fore the  rear  was  up  and  all  the  troops  were  formed :  but  their 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  89 

march,  covered  by  intervening  hills,  had  not  been  seen,  and  their 
vicinity  was  not  suspected. 

The  French  soldiers  were  crowded  on  the  parapet  of  their 
work,  watching  the  progress  of  an  attack  upon  Miravete ;  which, 
however,  was  merely  a  feint,  intended  to  have  been  simultaneoue 
with  the  escalade.  They  had  no  suspicion  of  an  attack  till  the 
rush  of  the  assailants,  the  sight  of  their  ladders  and  the  opening 
of  their  firing  parties  alarmed  them,  already  on  the  alert,  into 
swift  resistance.  With  a  good  order,  exceeded  only  by  their 
valor,  the  50th  regiment,  and  one  wing  of  the  71st,  soon  mount- 
ed the  parapet,  and  the  defenders  gave  way.  Their  contest  for 
the  interior  defences  was  but  short :  they  abandoned  the  re- 
trenchment and  tower,  and  fled  to  the  tete  de  pont.  Here  was 
a  scene  of  great  confusion ;  for  the  pursuers  entered  the  work 
with  them.  They  rushed  upon  tiic  bridge;  but  three  of  the 
boats  were  already  cut  away  by  the  fugitives  who  first  crossed. 
Many  fell  or  leaped  into  the  river,  and  were  drowned :  about  250 
were  made  prisoners. 

The  commandant  of  Fort  Ragusa,  after  firing  a  few  rounds 
upon  Fort  Napoleon,  the  guns  of  which  were  already  turned 
against  him,  evacuated  his  post  in  disgraceful  haste,  and  marched 
away. 

The  river  was  soon  passed ;  the  towers  and  magazines  rn  the 
forts,  and  in  the  t6te  de  pont,  were  blown  up  ;  the  guns  thrown 
into  the  Tagus ;  the  palisades,  barriers,  stores  of  timber  and  of 
tools,  the  pontoons  and  their  carriages,  were  consumed  by  fire, 
and  tlie  works  utterly  effaced  and  destroyed. 

This  important  service  was  effected  with  the  loss  of  only  15 
officers  and  162  privates,  killed  and  wounded. 

Soult  was  already  in  motion,  to  act  upon  Sir  Rowland  Hill's 
communications  with  Badajos  and  Elvas ;  while  Mamiont  was 
hastening  to  the  Tagus.  Upon  the  21st  of  May,  Sir  Rowland's 
corps  wfis  already  at  Truxillo,  on  its  return.  Soult  relinquished 
all  hope  of  intercepting  him ;  and  wiien  tJie  advanced  guard  of 
Marinont  readied  the  banks  of  the  Tagus,  they  saw  notiiing  but 
blackened  ruins  insteatl  of  formidable  forts ;  and  a  friendly  gar- 
rison in  the  tower  of  Miravete,  now  useless,  whom  they  could 
not  relieve.  It  was  not  until  the  11th  of  July  following  that 
this  isolated  detachment,  closely  watclied  by  guerillas,  and  suf^ 
fering  from  fiiinine,  was  released  by  the  advance  of  a  strong 
doUichment  from  Toledo.  They  tiien  destroyed  the  works,  ana 
left  the  paa-^  open. 

The  Ixild  conduct  and  happy  issue  of  the  important  expedition 
of  geiuTa!  Hill  gave  a  security  and  iiopofidness  to  the  offensive 
movemontrf  contemplated  by  lord  Wellington,  which  they  had 
otherwise  wanted,  and  without  which,  he  could  not  have  availed 
himself  of  any  success  to  penetrate  far  into  Spain.    He  now 

Vol.  II.     ,  H 


86  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

rapidly  completed  his  own  arrangements  for  moving  forward. 
A  month's  provision  for  the  whole  army  was  collected  and  stored 
at  Rodrigo.  Some  heavy  howitzers  and  three  18-pounders,  with 
the  necessary  ammunition,  were  secretly  prepared  for  a  march 
at  Almeida.  The  bridge  upon  the  Tagus  at  Alcantara  was  re- 
paired to  facilitate  his  communication  with  the  corps  of  HUl, 
and,  on  the  13th  of  June,  he  suddenly  broke  up  from  his  canton- 
ments. Upon  the  17th  of  June,  he  appeared  before  Salamanca^ 
and  crossed  the  Tormes  by  fords  above  and  below  the  city ;  as 
the  allies  advanced,  Marmont  slowly  retired. 

Salamanca  being  a  valuable  post  to  the  French,  and  contain- 
ing a  very  large  depot,  they  had  constructed,  on  the  ruins  of 
some  convents,  three  strong  torts.  These  works  were  garrisoned 
by  800  men,  and  were  so  formidable  as  to  be  quite  secure  from 
any  but  a  regular  attack.  They  were  accordingly  besieged  by 
the  division  of  general  Clinton  in  due  form.  This  operation  was 
covered  by  the  whole  army,  which  occupied  a  position  three 
miles  in  front  of  Salamanca,  called  the  heights  of  ChristovaL 
The  right  of  the  army  rested  on  the  Tormes  near  Cabrarizos ; 
the  left  upon  a  tributary  stream  of  that  river  near  Villares  de  la 
Reyna.  The  besiegers  broke  ground  before  the  fortified  con- 
vent of  St.  Vicente  on  the  night  of  the  17th.  On  the  19th  the 
artillery  battered  in  breach,  but  the  ammunition  was  exliausted 
before  a  way  into  the  fort  was  opened.  Nevertlieless  the  de- 
fences were  so  much  damaged  by  the  fire  of  the  batteries,  that 
an  escalade  was  attempted.  The  assailants  were  repulsed  with 
the  loss  of  major-general  Bowes,  commanding  the  attack,  and 
120  men  killed  and  wounded.  The  general,  a  devoted  and  gal- 
lant soldier,  was  much  lamented. 

From  the  20th  to  the  27th,  marshal  Marmont  essayed  many 
manoeuvres  for  the  relief  of  these  forts,  and  made  various  de- 
monstrations of  passing  the  Tormes  by  his  left,  and  acting  upon. 
Wellington's  line  of  communication  with  Rodrigo ;  but  all  his 
manoeuvres  and  demonstrations  were  vain.  He  could  not  induce 
the  British  commander  to  make  one  false  movement.  The  allied 
army  was  held  perfectly  in  hand ;  its  front  changed ;  and  its 
right  being  placed  on  the  ford  of  Santa  Martha,  it  was  ready  to 
act  upon  either  bank  as  required ;  while  only  one  brigade  of 
cavalry  was  sent  across  the  Tormes  in  observation.  In  the  night, 
however,  of  the  24th,  Marmont  passed  the  river  himself  at  Hu- 
erta  with  the  greater  part  of  his  force.  This  being  known  at 
dawn,  two  divisions  of  infantry  and  a  second  brigade  of  cavalry 
were  sent  across  the  ford  of  Santa  Martha,  The  rest  of  the  al- 
lied army  was  collected  between  Morisco  and  Cabrarizos ;  the 
advance  still  maintaining  its  position  at  Aldea  Lengua.  Mamiont 
pushed  on  to  Calvarassa  de  Abaxo ;  but,  finding  Graham  be- 
tween that  place  and  Salamanca  in  order  of  battle,  and  observ- 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  87 

ing  that  he  might  be  easily  supported  and  strengthened  from  the 
right  bank,  he  halted,  and  in  the  evening  repassed  tlie  Tormes 
at  Huerta,  and  took  up  his  old  position  at  Villares  on  the  British 
left.  During  these  various  movements  there  was  no  affair  of 
great  moment. 

On  the  20th  there  was  a  cavalry  skirmish  in  front  of  tlie  posi- 
tion of  St  Christoval,  and  on  the  night  of  the  21st  the  enemy 
established  a  post  on  the  right  flank  of  the  allies,  from  which  he 
was  driven  by  the  7th  division.  A  general  so  calm  and  skilful 
as  lord  Wellington,  having  the  advantage  of  the  central  base 
for  his  own  movements,  was  not  to  be  disturbed  or  forced  from 
his  resolve.  The  baflled  Mannont  sought  to  communicate  with 
the  forts  in  vain  ;  and  the  error  which  he  had  committed  in 
shutting  up  8(X)  men  in  such  a  post  was  discovered  when  it  was 
without  remedy.  On  the  26th  a  supply  of  shot  arrived,  and  the 
batteries  again  commenced  their  fire  with  hot  shot.  The  con- 
vent of  St  Vicente  was  soon  on  tire  in  many  places ;  but  the 
fires  were  extinguished  by  the  garrison.  The  howitzer  battery 
continued  to  fire  hot  shot  throughout  the  night ;  and  by  ten 
o'clock  the  next  morning  the  convent  of  St.  Vicente  was  in 
flames ;  and  in  the  gorge  of  the  fort  Gayetano  there  was  an  open 
breach.  The  commandants  of  these  forts  hoisted  the  white 
flag,  but  demanded  three  hours'  delay  before  they  surrendered. 
Lord  Wellington  limited  them  to  live  minutes,  at  the  expiration 
of  which  time,  no  submis.sion  being  made,  the  batteries  resumed 
their  fire ;  the  storming  parties  aidvanced ;  and  the  forts  were 
carried  at  the  iKiyonct's  point  with  very  little  resistance.  Very 
few  of  the  enemy  were  slain,  but  about  7(K)  were  made  prisoners. 

These  works  were  immediately  disarmed  and  destroyed.  The 
guns  and  all  the  military  stores  were  given  to  the  Spaniards ; 
among  the  latter  a  large  supply  of  clotliing  was  found  :  for,  as 
has  been  already  observed,  Salamanca  was  the  grand  dep6t  of 
Uie  army  of  Portugal,  and  hence  the  labor  and  expense  which 
had  been  bestowed  upon  its  defences. 

The  siege  and  capture  of  these  forts  cost  the  allies  36  officers, 
and  450  men  killed  and  wounded.  No  sooner  did  Marmont  as- 
certain the  fall  of  tlie  works,  than  he  withdrew  the  garrison 
from  Alba  de  Tormes,  and  retired  upon  the  Douro.  On  the  2d 
of  July  the  cavalry  of  the  allies  overtook  his  rear-guard,  near 
Tordesillas,  and  drove  them  acro-ss  the  river  in  great  confusion. 
Marmont  now  t<X)k  up  a  jK)sition  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Douro, 
having  his  right  at  Polios,  his  left  at  Simancas  on  the  Pisuerga, 
and  his  centre  at  Tordesillas.  The  British  line  stretched  from 
Iji  Seca  on  its  right  to  PoUoe  on  its  left.  Head-quarters  were 
established  at  Rueda ;  and  the  Douro  flowed  between  the  hostile 
ormie-s.  The  jiosition  of  the  French  was  strong  :  the  right  bank 
of  the  Douro  does  for  the  most  part  command  the  passage  of 


88  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

that  river.  The  bridges  were  secured,  and  they  had  fortified 
posts  at  Zamora  and  Toro.  Moreover,  the  bend  of  the  river 
was  in  their  favor ;  for  it  so  encircled  the  position  of  the  allies, 
tliat  nothing  but  vigilance  and  prompt  manoeuvre  "could  save  it 
from  being  attacked  on  one  or  other  of  its  flanks  at  a  disad- 
vantage. 

From  the  3d  to  the  1.5th  of  July,  the  hostile  conmianders  lay 
watchful  but  inactive — with  the  exception  of  such  correspond- 
mg  movement  on  tiie  part  of  the  allies  as  any  change  of  position 
on  the  French  line  demanded.  While  Marmont  remained 
stationary  behind  the  Uouro,  he  was  joined  by  a  large  reinforce- 
ment of  horse,  and  by  the  strong  division  of  general  Bonnet, 
which  he  had  summoned  from  the  Asturias.  Soon  after  this, 
upon  the  15th,  Marmont  having  moved  a  considerable  corps 
down  the  river,  the  allied  army  was  marched  to  its  left,  and 
head-quarters  transferred  from  Rueda  to  La  Nava  del  Rey.  On 
the  16th  two  divisions  of  the  French  crossed  the  bridge  at  Toro. 
XiOrd  Wellington,  suspecting  this  to  be  merely  a  demonstration, 
only  moved  a  part  of  his  force  upon  Toro,  and  with  the  main 
body  took  up  a  strong  position  on  the  Guarena,  occupying 
Fuente  la  Pena  and  Canizal ;  while  the  4th  and  light  divisions, 
under  general  Cole,  were  posted  at  Castrejon  on  the  Trabancos ; 
which,  like  the  Guarena,  is  a  stream  tributary  to  the  Douro. 

On  the  night  of  the  16th  the  two  divisions  of  the  enemy  re- 
crossed  the  bridge  at  Toro,  destroyed  it,  and  again  effected  their 
junction  with  Marmont  at  Tordesillas.  Here  the  whole  force, 
being  concentrated,  passed  the  river ;  and,  by  a  forced  march  of 
forty  miles,  was  early  on  the  morning  of  the  18th  in  presence  of 
the  two  British  divisions  on  the  Trabancos.  By  this  great  exer- 
tion the  communication  of  Marmont  with  Sladrid,  from  whence 
he  expected  to  be  joined  by  the  army  of  the  centre,  was  per- 
fectly opened,  and  the  two  hostile  divisions  before  him  were 
placed  in  some  danger.  This  advantage  the  French  marshal 
lost  no  time  in  seeking  to  improve.  His  cavalry,  supported  by 
infantry  and  artillery,  instantly  engaged  the  British  horse  ;  who, 
being  outnumbered,  soon  began  to  lose  ground  in  a  conflict 
manifestly  unequal.  In  the  distance  the  whole  French  army 
was  advancing.  The  situation  of  the  light  and  4th  divisions 
was  very  critical.  Already  was  the  enemy  menacing  their  line 
of  retreat  and  pressing  upon  both  flanks;  when  Wellington, 
quickly  advancing  a  support  of  cavalry  and  horse-artillery  to 
check  the  progress  of  the  French,  extricated  these  troops  from 
their  difficulty,  and  directed  their  retreat  upon  the  heights  of 
Canizal  in  their  rear.  This  movement  was  executed  with  per- 
fect order,  and  with  small  loss ;  although  in  the  presence  of  an 
eijemy  who  pursued  so  qlosely  as  to  open  upon  them  from  forty 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  89 

pieces  of  artillery  as  they  passed  tlie  Guarena  to  join  the  army 
now  embattled  on  tiie  heights  of  Canizal. 

No  sooner  was  the  main  body  of  the  French  up,  and  the  hostile 
armies  in  presence,  tlian  Marmont  pushed  a  heavy  column  across 
the  Guarena  to  gain  a  ridge  upon  the  flank  of  the  allies,  which 
would  have  commanded  the  Salamanca  road,  and  have  turned 
the  Britisii  left  This  effort  was  hotly  repulsed  by  the  division 
of  general  Cole,  and  by  a  brilliant  charge  of  cavalry.  In  this 
affair  a  French  general  and  'MK)  men  were  made  prisoners. 
During  the  operations  of  this  day,  the  allies  lost  in  killed  and 
wounded  from  500  to  600  men,  and  the  French  must  have  suffered 
a  considerable,  though  not  perhaps  an  equal,  loss.* 

Tlie  19th  was  wliolly  passed  in  manoeuvres ;  Marmont  mena- 
cing the  ri^ht  of  tlie  allies,  and  moving  several  divisions  to  his 
left.  All  these  movements  were  immediately  observed  and  met 
on  the  part  of  lord  Wellington  by  others.  The  whole  of  tlie 
allied  army  was  collected  behind  the  Guarena,  and  during  the 
night  it  was  disposed  in  battle  order  on  the  plain  of  Vallcsa. 

At  dawn  of  day  on  the  20th  tiie  Frencli  army  was  plainly  seen 
marching  to  its  left  along  the  naked  heiglits  of  the  Guarena  in 
perfect  order.  The  allies  were  on  the  instant  put  in  motion  to 
their  right ;  and  the  two  armies  marched  for  several  hours  in  an 
open  country  where  the  heiglits  are  very  mconsiderable,  moving 
in  parallel  lines  within  half-cannon-shot  of  each  other,  and  ready 
at  a  word  to  form  the  battle  front  and  engage. 

A  sight  more  glorious  and  more  solemn,  war  does  not  often 
present.  Ninety  thousand  combatants  marched,  side  by  side  as 
it  were,  without  collision,  each  host  admiring  the  array  of  its  op- 
ponents,— all  eyes  eager  in  their  gaze,  and  all  ears  attent  for  the 
signal  sound  ot  battle. 

The  head  of  the  enemy's  columns,  having  the  advance  of  tlie 
allies,  was  enabled  to  cross  the  Guarena  higher  up  unopposed, 
and  formed  on  a  range  of  lieiglits  which  extended  on  the  lefl 
flank  of  the  allied  force  nearly  to  Salamanca.  Wellington 
merely  tlirew  back  tliat  flank,  without  the  sliglitest  confusion, 
and  marched  in  column  along  the  bottom  of  tliosc  lieights  in  a 
parallel  direction  to  tiie  enemy  Upon  this  line  the  allied  army 
remained  in  position  tor  the  night ;  but  lord  Wellington  detached 
one  division  of  infantry  and  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  to  Aldea  Len- 
gua  on  the  Tornies,  to  observe  tlie  enemy,  who  occupied,  in  great 
strength,  Biibila  Fuente  and  Villaruela. 

On  tlie  morning  of  the  21st  the  allied  army  was  again  placed 
upon  its  old  iK)siti()n  of  St.  Christoval.  In  the  afternoon  tlie 
enemy  crossed  tiie  Tonnes  witli  the  greater  part  of  liis  tfoojw 
between  Alba  and  Huerta,  and  moved  by  his  left  towards  the 

*  Un  this  day  lord  Wcllinitloii  with  liiti  utalT  was  cinsvly  pressed  by  a  body 
of  French  cavalry,  and  but  for  the  spi-i-d  of  his  horse  would  have  been  taken. 

112 


90  militaev  memoirs  oi* 

roads  leading  to  Ciudad  Rodrigo.  In  the  evening,  lord  Welling- 
ton, leaving  the  third  division  and  a  brigade  of  Portuguese 
cavalry  at  Cabrarizos  on  the  right  of  the  Tormes,  passed  the 
river  by  the  bridge  of  Salamanca  and  the  fords,  and  placed  his 
troops  in  a  position  of  which  tlie  right  was  upon  one  of  two  rocky 
and  abrupt  lieights  in  the  midst  of  the  plain,  called  dos  Arapiles, 
and  the  left  rested  on  the  Tormes  below  the  ford  of  Santa 
Martha. 

The  French  occupied-  the  heights  of  La  Pena,  and  held  the 
village  of  Calvarasso  de  Ariba ;  and  their  position  was  favorably 
covered  and  concealed  by  thick  wood.  Skirmishing  began  with 
the  dawn,  and  a  strong  detachment  of  the  French  soon  seized 
the  more  distant  and  strongest  of  the  two  hills  called  the  Arapi- 
les. The  right  of  the  allied  position  was  thus  rather  open  to  an- 
noyance ;  it  was  therefore  extended  en  fotence  to  the  heights 
behind  the  village  of  Arapiles,  and  that  hamlet  was  occupied 
with  light  infantry.  At  the  same  time  the  third  division  and 
Portuguese  cavalry  were  ordered  to  cross  the  Tormes,  and 
posted  at  Aldea  Tejada,  as  a  further  support  to  the  riglit.  Both 
Wellington  and  Marmont  at  this  moment  were  masters  of  their 
respective  lines  of  communication,  and  free  to  accept  or  decline 
battle  as  they  chose.  The  French  army  of  the  centre  was  ad- 
vancing to  join  the  army  of  Portugal,  and  was  only  three  marches 
distant ;  and  a  strong  reinforcement  of  cavalry  and  artillery  from 
the  army  of  the  north  was  close  at  hand. 

Marmont  was  already  at  the  head  of  47,000  good  troops ;  out- 
numbering the  allies  by  at  least  5000  men.  If  he  was  strengtli- 
ened  by  the  junction  of  the  army  of  tlie  centre,  Wellington's 
retreat  into  Portugal  would  have  been  a  compelled  necessity;  but 
the  French  marshal  sought  to  alarm  liis  opponent  by  attempting 
to  turn  his  right,  and  threatening  to  interpose  a  force  on  the  line 
of  his  communication  with  Rodrigo.  This  movement  was  made 
by  the  marshal  upon  some  heiglits,  about  lialf  a  mile  in  front  of 
the  Britisli,  by  the  extension  of  his  troops  considerably  to  the  left. 
This  manoeuvre  was  performed  with  gi-eat  display ;  with  a  noisy 
cannorjp,de,  and  a  cloudy  cover  of  slcirmishers  tlirown  out  on  his 
front  and  flank.  The  extension  of  this  infantry  was  first  ob- 
served through  his  glass  by  a  staff-officer ;  who,  being  near  lord 
Wellington,  reported  what  he  saw.  No  sooner  did  Wellington 
satisfy  himself  of  the  error  which  Marmont  had  thus  committed, 
than  he  uttered  an  exulting  exclamation,  and  made  immediate 
dispositions  for  the  attack. 

Little  suspicious  of  his  intentions,  the  French  were  engaged 
in  a  partial  combat  with  a  detachment  of  guards  which  held  the 
village  of  Arapiles,  and  resisted  all  efforts  to  dislodge  them. 

Suddenly  the  3d  division  under  Packenham,  supported  by  two 
brigades  of  artillery  and  several  squadrons  under  D'Urban,  moved 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  91 

upon  the  enemy's  left  at  a  rapid  pace ;  was  formed  at  once  across 
tlieir  flank,  and,  steadily  advancing,  drove  all  before  them,  out- 
flanking tliem  on  all  points,  where  tiiey  tried  to  make  a  stand, 
and  pursuing  tlieni  from  one  height  to  another,  till  tJiey  made 
above  3()0{)  prisoners.  The  divisions  of  Cole  and  Leith,  supprted 
by  those  of  Clinton  and  Hope,  advanced  to  the  attack  of  their 
front  nearly  at  the  same  time,  while  Pack  led  a  brigade  of  Por- 
tuguese agiiinst  that  one  of  the  two  Arapilcs  which  tlicy  occupied. 
Generals  Cole  and  Leith  made  an  immediate  impression  ujwn  the 
enemy's  front,  and  drove  his  troops  before  them  from  one  height 
to  another.  TJien  bringing  forward  their  right  as  they  advanced, 
they  continually  gained  strength  upon  his  flank.  These  divisions 
were  gallantly  supixjfted  by  the  cavalry  under  Sir  Stapleton 
Cotton,  who  executed  a  most  brilliant  charge  against  a  body  of  the 
enemy's  infantry  witli  complete  success.  It  was  here  that, 
charging  at  the  head  of  his  brigade,  major-general  Le  Marchnnt, 
a  noble  officer,  was  slain. 

The  very  gallant  efibrt  of  Pack  upon  the  Arapiles  failed,  and 
thus  the  enemy  were  enabled  to  tlirow  some  troops  on  the  flank 
of  the  4th  division ;  while  that  body,  ■which  iiad  already  carried 
the  crests  of  the  heights  in  its  front,  was  stoutly  met  and  opposed 
by  a  reserve  divisioji  under  general  Bonnet  General  Cole  him- 
self was  wounded';  and  the  4th  division,  thus  severely  pressed, 
was  compelled  to  give  way  :  but  the  check  was  of  little  moment ; 
the  ground  was  regained  by  a  brigade  of  the  5tli  division  in  the 
second  line  ;  which  by  a  skilful  change  of  front  took  the  enemy 
in  flank  witii  a  heavy  lire,  and  drove  them  again  backwards.  This 
judicious  movement  was  directed  by  marshal  Beresfbrd.  The 
left  and  centre  of  the  enemy  were  now  beaten,  and  a  brigade 
from  the  division  of  general  Clinton  carried  the  Arapiles.  But 
the  French  right  was  as  yet  unbroken:  it  was  strengthened 
every  moment  by  the  troops  defeated  on  the  left ;  and  presented 
a  new  and  stubborn  front  on  a  well-chcsen  position.  Marmont 
had  been  wounded,  but  the  zeal  and  flrmness  of  general  Clause!, 
who  succeeded  to  the  command  in  this  trying  moment,  and  here 
rallied  the  disheartened  army,  deserves  all  praise.  Lord  Wel- 
lington's dispositions  lur  tiiu  attack  of  this  new  position  were  soon 
made.  He  found  a  formidable  artillery  j)osted  along  its  front ; 
large  bodies  of  cavalry  on  either  flank ;  and  the  face  of  the  heights 
waa  a  clear  glacis  swept  by  tlieir  guns. 

The  let  and  liglit  divisions,  with  one  brigade  of  British  and  one 
of  Portuguese  from  the  4th,  were  directed  to  turn  tlie  right, 
while  general  Clinton  witii  the  (Uh  division,  supjwrted  by  the  3d 
and  oth,  was  ordered  to  assail  it  in  front.  These  onlers  were 
promptly  and  heroically  obeyc<l.  The  (ith  division  advanced 
under  a  storm  of  bullets  from  a  well-served  artillery,  anc'  imdcr 
a  heavy  lire  of  musketry.  They  sustained  a  heavy  loss  with  ad- 


92  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

mirable  steadiness;  and  no  sooner  gained  the  level  of  their 
enemies,  than  they  rushed  upon  them  with  the  bayonet,  and, 
supported  by  the  movement  of  the  4th  division  on  the  flank,  they 
drove  back  the  French  troops  in  the  greatest  possible  disorder. 
It  was  already  nearly  dark :  the  allies  pursued  them  in  the 
direction  of  Huerta,  and  the  fords  on  the  Tormes ;  but,  under 
cover  of  the  woods  and  tlie  night,  a  vast  number  of  fugitives, 
who  would  otherwise  liave  swelled  the  triumph  as  prisoners, 
effected  their  escape. 

A  field  covered  with  slain  and  wounded  soldiers  of  both  armies, 
two  eagles,  eleven  pieces  of  artillery,  and  7000  prisoners,  at- 
tested at  once  the  severity  of  the  contest,  and  the  greatness  of 
the  victory.  The  allies  had  5000  killed  and  wounded.  Gen- 
erals Beresford,  Cotton,  Cole,  Leith,  and  Alten  were  among  tlie 
wounded. 

This  success,  great  and  glorious  as  it  was,  would  have  been 
yet  fuller  in  its  fruit,  had  not  the  Spaniards  abandoned  the  castle 
of  Alba  de  Tormes,  at  which  point  the  enemy  was  enabled  to 
cross  the  river  without  delay  or  resistance.  However,  the  cav- 
alry of  the  allies  came  up  with  the  French  rear-guard  near  La 
Serna  the  next  morning;  and  general  Bock,  commanding  a 
brigade  of  heavy  German  dragoons,  with  unhesitating  spirit 
charged  three  squares  of  infantry,  broke  them,  sabred  very  many, 
and  gleaned  990  prisoners.  Such  of  these  battalions  as  were 
not  cut  up  or  taken  threw  away  their  arms,  scrambled  over  the 
fields,  and  joined  the  main  body  of  the  retiring  army.  But  tlie 
enemy  was  still  strong  in  cavalry,  and  was  joined  by  a  numerous 
reinforcement  in  that  arm,  as  also  by  horse-artillery,  two  days 
after  the  battle.  By  making  forced  marches,  and  being  thus 
covered,  they  were  enabled  to  effect  tlieir  retreat  to  Valladolid 
without  further  loss.  To  this  city  Wellington  pursued  them; 
tliey  retired  upon  Burgos  as  he  approaclied.  He  entered  Valla- 
dolid on  the  30th,  but  the  next  day  recrossed  the  Douro;  and, 
fixing  Jiis  head-quarters  at  Cuellar,  prepared  for  a  movement 
against  the  army  of  the  centre.  By  great  exertions  supplies  were 
brought  up,  and  he  was  enabled  to  march  forwards  again  on  the 
6tb  of  August.  General  Clinton's  division,  and  some  of  the  regi- 
ments which  had  suffered  the  most  severely,  were  left  to  observe 
the  line  of  the  Douro  ;  while  the  main  body  of  the  army  took  the 
route  of  Segovia  and  St.  Ildefonso  to  the  capital.  Tlie  intrusive 
king  had  already  retired  upon  that  point  with  the  army  of  the 
centre.  Lor.l  Wellington  reached  St.  Ildefonso  on  the  9th  of 
August.  On  the  two  following  days  his  victorious  troops,  defiling 
by  the  passes  of  Guadarama  and  Naval  Serrada,  crossed  the 
mountains,  and  descended  to  the  plains  of  New  Castile.  On  tlie 
11th  there  was  an  aSair  of  cavalry  at  Majalonda,  between  the 
horse  of  the  army  of  the  centre  and  a  small  body  of  heavy  Ger- 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  93 

man  and  Portuguese  cavalry.  The  enemy  having  approached  the 
post  of  general  D'Urban's  brigade  of  Portuguese  cavalry,  the 
general  l,ed  them  to  charge  the  advanced  stjuadrons  of  tlie  French ; 
but  the  Portuguese  were  not  etjual  to  the  encounter.  They  turned 
and  gave  way, — leaving  three  guns  of  the  horse-artillery  to  the 
enemy,  and  fell  back  ujwn  the  Germans  in  confusion,  by  whose 
gallantry,  however,  the  French  were  soon  ciiecked.  Tlie  infantry 
of  the  allies  coming  in  sigiit,  they  now  burned  the  gun-carriages 
whicli  they  had  captured,  and  fell  back  upon  Madrid. 

Joseph  Buonaparte  retired  from  tliat  city  on  the  night  of  the 
11th,  accompanied  by  marshal  Jourdan ;  and,  leaving  2000  men 
in  the  fortified  post  of  the  Retiro,  marched  with  the  rest  of  his 
troops  u]»n  Aranjuez,  and  crossed  the  Tagus  for  security.  Upcai 
the  16th  he  continued  his  retreat  in  the  direction  of  Valencia. 

Tlie  reception  of  the  allied  army  and  its  illustrious  command- 
er, by  the  citizens  of  Madrid,  was  of  itself  a  bright  reward  and 
a  joyous  triumph.  Tliey  came  forth  to  meet  their  deliverers 
with  tiiose  shouts  and  gestures  of  admiration  and  gratitude 
which  mark  the  enthusiasm  and  sincerity  of  that  impassioned 
people. 

Lord  Wellington  rode  instantly  to  reconnoitre  tlie  defences  of 
the  Retiro.  That  palace,  with  the  walled  and  extensive  gardens 
from  vvijich  it  takes  its  name,  stands  upon  an  elevation  at  the 
eastern  e-xtremity  of  the  city.  Upon  tliis  site,  where  are  also  to 
be  found  a  museum,  a  porcelain  manufactory,  a  circus  for  bull- 
fights, an<l  a  botanical  garden,  tlie  enemy  had  formed  a  sjwcious 
retrenched  post  It  was  in  fact  an  extensive  citadel,  havuig  a 
triple  line  of  defence,  but  rcciuiring  a  largo  garrison.  Welling- 
ton directed  the  exterior  encthite  to  be  forced  on  the  following 
evening.  On  tlie  morning  of  tlie  14tli  the  arrangements  for  at- 
tacking the  garrison  in  its  second  line  of  defence  being  completed, 
the  commandant  surrendered.  The  trcx^ps  were  made  prisoners 
of  war ;  and  an  arsenal,  containing  180  pieces  of  onhiancc,  20,000 
stand  of  arms,  and  military  stores  of  every  description,  was  de- 
livered into  the  power  of  tlic  victors. 

On  the  morning  of  the  IStii  don  Carlos  de  Espafia  was  ap- 
pointed governor  of  Madrid,  and  the  new  constitution  was  pro- 
claimed amid  the  loud  viva.s  of  exulling  crowds.  The  entire 
jxipulation  poured  into  the  streets  and  squares;  every  tongue 
was  loosened ;  on  all  sides  were  heard  the  accents  of  joy ; 
laurels  and  flowers  deconited  the  gay  scene.  Tapestry  and 
carpets  were  hung  from  tiie  balconies;  holiday  dresses  were 
put  on;  lioliday  greetings  were  given;  and  tlie  holiday  smiles 
of  inoii,  women,  and  children  reimid  the  army  for  all  its  toils. 
But  Wellington  was  more  especially  the  object  of  tiieir  praise 
and  liDiior:  wherever  lie  upi>earrd,  cries  rent  the  air  of  "  1/jnff 
live  tlio  duko  of  Cimlad  Rodrigo  !" — "LcHig  live  Wellington  !" 


94  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

Green  boughs,  and  flowers,  and  shawls,  were  strewn  before  hia 
horse's  feet.  Here  it  should  be  recorded,  that  when,  upon  the 
22d  of  August,  the  new  council  waited  upon  him  with  all  the 
ceremonies  of  state  to  offer  to  him  a  congratulatory  address  as 
duke  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  conceived  in  those  glowing  terms 
which  are  fitting  towards  a  deliverer,  Wellington  replied  with 
simple  dignity,  and  unaffected  modesty ;  nor  did  he  notice  in  his 
reply  their  proud  and  swelling  enumeration  of  his  great  suc- 
cesses, further  than  by  one  line  :  "  The  events  of  war  are  in  the 
hands  of  Providence."  In  this  spirit  he  looked  back  upon  his 
past  achievements;  in  this  spirit  he  contemplated  the  severe 
trials  and  arduous  duties  which  coming  events  might  yet  impose 
on  liim. 


CHAP.  IX. 

THE  POSITION  OF  THE  ALLIES. LORD  WELLINGTON    MARCHES   NORTH,  AND 

BESIEGES    BURGOS. THE    FRENCH    ARMIES    OF    THE   NORTH,  SOUTH,  AND 

CENTRE  COMBINE  THEIR  MOVEMENTS. LORD  WELLINGTON  WITHDRAWS 

THE    ALLIES    FROM    MADRID,    BREAKS    UP    FROM    BEFORE    BURGOS,   AND 

CONCENTRATES  HIS  ARMY    UPON  THE    TORJIES. IS    FOLLOWED   BY   THE 

enemy's  united  FORCE. RETIRES  INTO  PORTUGAL. TAKES  UP  WINTER 

CANTONMENTS. VISITS  CADIZ  AND  LISBON. RETURNS  TO  THE  ARMY. 

The  objects  of  lord  Wellington's  advance  upon  Madrid  were 
only  in  part  attained.  The  supports,  upon  which  he  had  hope- 
fully reckoned,  failed  him.  The  expedition  from  Sicily  did  not 
reach  the  eastern  coast  of  Spain  till  Suchet  had  beaten  and  dis- 
persed the  armies  of  Catalonia  and  Valencia. 

With  a  weak  division  of  6000  men,  a  great  part  of  then! 
foreigners,  general  Maitland  could  not  in  prudence  then  attempt 
any  descent  in  Catalonia;  but,  learning  that  the  army  of 
O'Donnel  had  been  defeated  at  Castella,  and  driven  into  Murcia, 
he  sailed  to  Alicante,  landed  his  troops,  and  preserved  that 
fortress  from  the  fate  to  which  it  was  thus  exposed.  Suchet  and 
Joseph  Buonaparte  were  now  free  to  unite  their  forces  in  Valen- 
cia, and  Soult  was  in  motion  to  combine  his  operations  with 
theirs.  All  the  Spanish  forces  in  the  south  were  at  this  time 
under  Ballasteros ;  but  with  a  low  and  petulant  pride,  that  vain 
and  jealous  Spaniard  refused  to  acknowledge  lord  Wellington 
as  commander-in-chief  of  the  allies,  or  to  obey  his  orders : 
therefore  he  made  no  attempt  to  impede  the  movements  of 
Soult,  although  the  importance  of  such  effort  was  obvious,  and 
he  had  been  commanded  to  make  it.  We  anticipate : — mai-shal 
Soult  had  advanced  in  the  month  of  June  against  Sir  Rowland 
Hill,  at  the  head  of  25,000  men  ;  but  the  firm  countenance  and 
judicious  dispositions  of  Sir  Rowland  forbade  him  to  risk  a 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  95 

second  battle  on  the  field  of  Albuera,  and  upon  the  23d  of  that 
month  he  liad  again  retired  on  Seville. 

During  these  operations  in  Estremadura,  an  tJfair  of  cavalry 
occurred  on  the  11th  of  June,  in  which  a  brigade  of  British, 
under  general  Slade,  having  pursued  some  slight  advantage  too 
far,  fell  in  with  a  heavy  body  of  the  enemy's  liorse  in  reserve, 
and  was  briskly  driven  back,  with  a  loss  of  more  than  150  sabred 
or  taken. 

One  of  the  first  effects  of  the  victory  at  Salamanca  was  to 
free  the  kingdom  of  Andalusia  from  the  grasp  of  Soult  He 
immediately  directed  the  castle  of  Niebla  to  be  blown  up,  and 
that  district  to  be  evacuated.  At  the  same  time  he  put  Seville 
so  far  in  a  state  of  defence  as  to  cover  his  march  when  he 
should  retire. 

Upon  the  fall  of  Madrid,  he  raised  the  blockade  of  Cadiz. 
Here  the  French  abandoned  their  lines  with  such  haste,  that 
they  could  not  destroy  the  lialf  of  their  stores.  Thirty  gun-boats 
and  500  pieces  of  cannon,  many  of  them  uninjured,  were  taken 
by  the  Spanish  troops.  Soult  tlien  concentrated  tlie  army  of 
Andalusia  in  Granada,  leaving  eight  battalions  in  Seville,  where 
the  Cartuxa  was  occupied  as  a  citadel,  that  he  might  hold  that 
important  city  till  the  necessity  of  finally  retiring  from  the  south 
of  Spjiin  was  forced  upon  him. 

The  Frencli  force  from  the  lines  before  Cadiz  marched  there- 
fore upon  Seville,  when  they  broke  up  the  blockade,  and  were 
astonished  as  they  approaclied  that  city  to  find  it  in  jxesession 
of  the  allies.  Conchuling  that  Sir  Rowland  Hill  had  taken  the 
place,  they  hastily  turned  upou  Carmona,  and  took  tlic  route  of 
Granada.  But  tho  troops  in  Seville  were  a  strong  detachment 
of  Spaniards  under  general  Crnz-Morgeon,  and  a  British  regi- 
ment under  colonel  Skerret.  This  small  force  was  .sent  from 
Cadiz — landed  in  the  Guadalquivir — and  making  a  rapid  march 
by  San  Lucar,  suddenly  seized  the  suburb  Triana  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  27th  of  August.  The  Frcncli  in  Seville  immedi- 
ately attempted  to  destroy  the  bridge  between  the  suburb  and 
tlie  city ;  but  the  inhabitants  loudly  liailing  the  allies,  soon  made 
a  passage  for  them  by  laying  planks  across  the  part  which  the 
enemy  had  broken  down.  The  advanced  guard  crossed  instantly, 
and  made  2(K)  prisoners  in  the  town.  Sir  Rowland  Hill  had 
already  been  sununonod  from  S^stremadura ;  and,  by  the  close 
of  August,  he  occupied  Toledo,  Yepez,  and  Aranjuez;  thus 
covering  the  right  of  the  main  army,  and  guarding  all  the  roads 
which  led  from  the  south  of  Simin  to  Madrid.  The  situation  of 
Wellington  in  the  capital  was  now  difficult  in  tJie  extreme:  his 
expectations  were  disappointed  ;  his  projects,  for  a  time,  at  least, 
defeated  ;  and  it  became  evident  tiiat  the  deliverance  of  Spain 
must  yet,  for  another  season  of  patience  and  perseverance,  be 


96  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

delayed.  The  military  chest  was  empty,  and  a  few  thousand 
dollars  only  could  be  raised.  The  citizens  of -Madrid  were  not 
wanting  in  the  spirit  of  generous  devotion,  but  they  were  poor. 
The  invader  had  left  them  little  to  bestow  upon  their  allies 
beyond  the  ration  of  the  passing  day,  and  the  word  of  blessing 
and  good  will.  Tlie  unexceptionable  securities  offered  by  the 
British  general  produced  a  sum  so  scanty  as  was  totally  inade- 
quate to  the  pressing  wants  of  the  army. 

At  this  time  the  cortez  were  wholly  occupied  with  their  new 
constitution.  In  the  liberated  districts  no  military  system  had 
been  adopted.  The  regency,  indeed,  had  decreed  the  raising  of 
50,000  men  to  reinforce  the  Spanish  army  ;  but  these  were  to 
be  obtained  by  voluntary  enlistment,  and  according  to  fixed  pro- 
,  portions,  in  each  province  throughout  all  Spain. 

Cadiz,  Carthagena,  and  Alicante  were,  at  this  very  moment, 
garrisoned  principally  by  the  allies ;  and  upon  the  allies,  in  fact, 
the  whole  weight  of  the  war  was  now  imposed. 

Independent  of  the  corps  of  Soult  in  Granada,  nearly  100,000 
French  troops  might  yet  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  army  of 
Wellington.  From  all  sides  Madrid  was  menaced.  General 
Clausel,  with  the  army  lately  under  Marmont,  had  again  ad- 
vanced to  the  Douro,  had  driven  back  the  Spanish  army  of 
Gallicia* — the  n)ost  efficient  yet  remaining  together, — and  had 
liberated  the  French  garrisons  of  Zamora  and  Toro. 

Thus,  becoming  alarmed  for  his  communications  with  Portugal, 
and  desirous  to  open  others  with  the  northern  coast  of  Spain,  by 
which  he  might  be  more  easily  supplied  from  England  with 
such  reinforcements  and  succors  as  could  be  spared  to  him, 
lord  Wellington  decided  to  march  in  person  against  Clause!. 

He  quitted  Madrid  on  the  1st  of  September,  leaving  behind 
him  the  two  divisions  most  in  need  of  repose.  Sir  Rowland 
Hill  was  directed  to  take  post  on  the  Jarama,  and  cover  Madrid 
on  that  side.  Should  Soult  march  direct  upon  the  capital,  Bal- 
lasteros  was  requested  to  join  Hill ; .  should  he  move  towards 
Valencia,  the  Spanish  general  was  desired  to  take  post  at  Al- 
cazar, and,  acting  upon  his  communications,  to  prevent  his 
junction  with  the  army  of  the  centre ;  to  these  arrangements 
Ballasteros  paid  no  attention. 

Lord  Wellington  passed  -the  Douro  on  the  6th  of  September, 
at  the  head  of  four  divisions  of  the  allied  anny,  drove  the  French 
from  Valladolid,  and  pursued  them  by  Duenas  beyond  Valencia. 
Here  he  was  joined  by  the  Spanish  army  of  Gallicia, — a  body 
of  12,000  men,  in  very  indifferent  order. 

As  the  allies  advanced,  the  French  retired.  Upon  the  17th, 
Clausel,  for  the  first  time,  showed  his  force  in  position  near 
Burgos.  He  had  about  22,000  men  in  the  field,  but  retired  the 
same  day,  and  was  joined  by  9000  infantry,  from  the  army  of 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  97 

the  north,  under  Souham.  That  general  assumed  the  command 
of  the  whole,  and  retired  to  a  position  near  Briviesca.  The 
allies  passed  Burgos  on  the  19th ;  12,000  men  invested  the 
castle,  in  wliich  tlie  enemy  had  left  a  garrison  of  from  2000  to 
3000  men ;  the  remainder  advanced  to  cover  the  operations  of 
the  siege ;  and  head-cjuarters  were  fixed  at  Villatoro. 

The  besieging  force  was  composed  of  the  1st  and  6th  divisions 
of  infaiitr}',  under  generals  Campbell  and  Clinton,  and  of  the 
Portuguese  brigades  of  Pack  and  Bradford. 

The  castle  of  Burgos  stands  upon  an  oblong,  conical,  rocky 
hill;  and  tlie  defences,  as  improved  most  ingeniously  by  the 
French,  consisted  of  three  lines.  The  outer  line  was  an  old 
escarp  wall,  of  difficult  access,  running  round  the  lower  part  of 
the  hill.  This  wall  they  had  modernized  with  a  shot-proof 
parapet ;  and  had  contrived  flanks  at  the  salient  and  re-entering 
points.  The  second  line  was  a  strong  field-retrenchment,  armed 
with  cannon.  The  tliird  was  similar  to  the  second  ;  and,  upon 
the  very  summit,  an  ancient  keep  had  been  converted  into  a 
heavy  cascniated  battery,  and  crowned  these  formidable  defences. 

The  castle  of  Burgos  was  a  post  very  important  to  tlie  enemy  ; 
and  Wellington  decided,  tlierefore,  to  attempt  its  reduction  with 
such  means,  feeble  as  they  were,  which  he  could  command. 

At  3(M)  yards'  distance  from  the  upper  works  of  the  castle, 
and  upon  a  level  witli  them,  but  separated  by  a  deep  ravine,  is  a 
hill,  called  St.  Michael.  Here  the  enemy  had  a  large  horn- 
work.  Upon  this  hill  it  was  resolved  to  make  a  lodgment : 
from  hence  to  batter  the  lines;  and  to  attempt  each  by  assault 
successively,  when  the  line  preceding  was  safely  secured.  This 
plan,  from  the  very  small  artillery  means  at  the  disposal  of  the 
allies,  gave  the  best  promise  of  success; — for  the  park  only  con- 
sistetl  of  three  18-pounder  guns,  and  five  24-pounder  iron 
howitzers. 

On  the  evening  of  the  19th  of  September,  the  homwork  was 
assaulted  and  carried.  The  storming  parties  lost  nearly  400 
killed  and  wounded.  Upon  this  occasion,  tlie  conduct  and  ex- 
ertions of  major  the  honorable  W.  Cocks  were  conspicuously 
gallant. 

Batteries  were  now  erected; — and,  on  the  night  of  the  22d, 
an  cflbrt  was  made  to  carry  the  outer  or  escarp  wall  by  escalade. 
Midnight  was  the  hour  chosen  for  the  enterprise.  The  ladders 
were  reared,  and  the  storming  party  forced  up  the  wall  most 
gallantly  ;  but  as  soon  as  tlic  leading  men  gained  a  momentary 
tooting  on  the  parapet,  tliey  were  l)ayoneted  down.  The  attempts 
were  bravely  and  often  repeated  with  no  better  success.  The 
garrison  mounted  on  the  parapet,  and  not  only  firctl  on  the  as- 
sailants witli  smnll-arms,  but  threw  down  heavy  shot,  and  also 
combustibles,  which  caused  the  nicn'.s  pouches  to  explode ;  they 

Vol.  II.  1 


98  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

were  at  last  drawn  off,  leaving  half  their  numbers  killed  and 
wounded ;  among  the  former  was  major  Laurie  of  the  79th. 

An  attempt  was  afterwards  made  to  breach  the  wall.  Of 
three  guns  in  battery,  two  were  soon  disabled  by  the  more 
weighty  fire  of  the  castle. 

Recourse  was  now  had  to  the  sap  and  the  mine.  The  former, 
when  pushed  near  the  place,  was  so  exposed,  owing  to  the  lofty 
site  of  the  enemy's  defences,  and  was  so  destructive  to  the  be- 
siegers, that  it  was  discontinued.  However,  a  gallery  was  suc- 
cessfully carried  under  the  outer  wall ;  and,  on  the  night  of  the 
29th  of  September,  a  breach  was  formed  by  the  explosion  of  a 
mine.  Arrangements  had  been  made  for  storming  as  soon  as 
the  mine  sliould  be  sprung.  A  serjeant  and  four  men  in  ad- 
vance of  the  storming  party  actually  mounted  the  breach ;  but 
the  division  which  should  have  followed  them  missed  its  way, 
and  as  the  breacli  was  but  narrow,  returned  from  the  wall  under 
the  impression  that  none  had  been  made.  The  French,  who  had 
been  at  first  surprised,  seeing  the  men  on  the  breach  without 
support,  charged  and  drove  them  down ;  and  these  brave  soldiers, 
three  of  them  being  wounded,  regained  their  division.  Before 
daylight  the  garrison  had  made  this  breach  impracticable. 
Another  breach  was  formed  on  the  afternoon  of  the  4th  of 
October.  As  soon  as  ever  the  mine  exploded,  the  24th  regi- 
ment rushed  up  and  effected  a  lodgment.  Captain  Hedderwick 
commanded  this  battalion,  and  lieutenants  Holmes  and  Frazer 
led  the  assault  with  the  greatest  regularity  and  spirit :  before 
the  dust  of  the  explosion  had  subsided,  they  were  in  contact 
with  the  besieged.  About  200  men  were  killed  and  wounded 
in  this  affair ;  among  the  latter,  lieutenant-colonel  Jones  of  the 
engineers. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  5th,  300  French  voltigeurs  sallied 
furiously  upon  this  post ;  gained  possession,  and  held  it  long 
enough  to  upset  the  gabions  and  destroy  the  lodgment.  In  this 
sortie  the  allies  lost  more  than  150  killed  and  wounded.  As 
soon  as  it  was  dark,  this  damage  was  repaired;  and  the  be- 
siegers began  the  formation  of  a  parallel  along  the  glacis  of  the 
second  line.  This  was,  at  last,  pushed  within  ten  yards  of  the 
enemy's  line;  but  the  work  was  attended  with  great  danger, 
and  very  many  of  the  laborers  were  slain.  The  garrison  kept 
up  a  constant  fire  of  musketry,  and  rolled  large  sliells  down  the 
steep  glacis.  At  this  period  of  the  attack  only  one  piece  of  siege 
artillery  remained  serviceable. 

Upon  the  night  of  the  8th,  the  garrison  made  another  fierce 
sally,  and  gained  possession  of  the  trenches.  They  maintained 
themselves  long  enough  to  destroy  all  the  latest  work,  and  to 
carry  off  the  tools.  In  this  sortie  above  200  of  the  besiegers 
were  killed  and  wounded.  Among  the  former  was  tlie  lionorable 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  99 

major  W".  Cocks,  commanding  the  79th.  This  officer,  already 
well  known  to  tlie  army  as  one  of  the  most  zealous  and  intelli- 
gent captains  that  ever  led  a  squadron  of  British  cavalry,  here 
closed  his  brief  but  distinguished  career. 

An  opening  was  at  last  made  in  the  second  line  by  the  battery 
of  howitzers;  and  upon  the  18tli  of  October  the  assault  was 
again  given  by  detachments  of  the  guards  and  the  German  le- 
gion. The  assailants  carried  the  breach  in  the  most  gallant 
style.  Some  of  the  men  even  pushed  forwards  into  the  upper 
line.  The  successful  assailants,  however,  were  soon  attacked 
in  turn :  very  superior  numbers  were  brougiit  to  bear  upon  them, 
and  they  were  driven  back  through  the  breach  witli  a  severe 
loss.  Major  Wurmb,  the  commander,  fell,  and  nearly  all  the 
officers  were  killed  or  wounded.  The  stonning  i)arty  of  the 
guards  had  been  directed  against  the  breach  first  formed  on  the 
29th  of  September.  They  advanced  with  ladders  through  this 
to  a  part  of  the  second  line,  and  gained  the  summit  of  tlie  para- 
pet with  great  gallantry  and  good  order  ;  but,  when  formed  in 
their  position,  they  were  soon  assaulted  by  ovcrjxjwering  num- 
bers, and  forced  back.  This  was  the  last  serious  ctlbrt  of  a  siege 
of  thirty  days.  The  casualties  of  the  besiegers  during  tliis  ar- 
duous service  exceedetl  2000;  and  tlie  loss-  of  the  besieged 
must  of  necessity  have  been  considerable.  Tlie  attack  was  per- 
severed in  by  the  allies  with  a  boldness,  intrepidity,  and  skill, 
highly  honorable  to  the  officers  and  troops  employed.  The  siege 
failed  solely  for  want  of  the  necessary  means  of  attack.  Even 
with  such  means  as  were  applied,  the  resolute  cflbrts  of  the 
British  might  have  forced  success  against  an  enemy  less  steady, 
courageou-s  and  able,  than  general  Du  Breton  and  his  garrison. 
With  proper  engineer  and  artillery  means,  the  ca.stle  of  Burgos 
must  have  fallen,  and  that  in  a  siege^ot  occupying  one  thinl  of 
the  time,  nor  attended  with  one  third  of  the  loss  of  this  tedious 
but  unsuccessful  attack. 

Nevertlieless  the  capture  of  Burgos  was  an  object  of  bo  great 
imjwrtance,  that  the  attempt  made  was  necessary;  and  tha4 
whicii  lord  Wellington  resolved  to  undertake  at  all,  if  firmness, 
patience,  and  perseverance,  could  have  commanded  fortune,  he 
would  have  succeeded  in  accomplishing. 

Lord  Wellington's  personal  superintendence  of  all  the  opera- 
tions of  tliis  anluous  siege  was  constant  and  vigilant  The  ar- 
rangements for  every  aasault  were  written  with  his  own  hand 
as  he  sat  upon  the  ground  ok^crving  tlie  point  of  attack;  and  he 
was  so  much  an<l  soofVon  ex|K)sod  t<j  fire,  that  his  escajKJ  is  re- 
markable. ( )n  the  nisrht  of  the  29th  of  September,  he  was  in 
such  imniinent  p<Tsoiuil  danger  on  his  return  from  a  close  ob- 
servation of  the  attack,  tliut  a  field  which  he  had  to  cross  was 
literally  plowed  up  by  grape  and  musketry  as  he  pa-ssed  down. 


100  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

In  consequence  of  the  menacing  movements  of  the  French 
general,  on  the  18th  of  October  most  of  the  besieging  corps 
joined  the  covering  army ;  and  upon  the  20th  lord  Wellington 
and  his  staff  moved  to  the  front.  On  the  evening  of  this  day, 
the  French  drove  in  the  outposts  of  the  allies;  but  the  ground 
was  immediately  recovered  by  a  movement  of  two  divisions, 
under  Sir  Edward  Paget,  which  lord  Wellington  directed  in 
person. 

On  the  night  of  the  21st  of  October  the  siege  was  raised,  a 
measure  which  the  combined  movements  of  the  armies  of  the 
south  and  centre,  under  Soult  and  tlie  intrusive  king,  now  com- 
pelled lord  Wellington  to  adopt.  Immediately  in  his  front  was 
an  army  considerably  reinforced  of  late,  and  having  a  superiority 
in  horse  so  great,  that  the  allied  cavalry  bore  no  proportion  to  it 
in  numbers.  The  commencement  of  this  retreat  was  a  most 
dangerous  and  difficult  operation  ;  for  not  only  was  it  to  be  per- 
formed in  the  presence  of  a  superior  army,  but  the  castle  of 
Burgos  commanded  the  high  road  and  the  bridges  on  the  Arlan- 
zon,  and  the  lateral  roads  were  deep  in  mud.  Nevertheless  lord 
Wellington,  in  one  night,  threw  his  whole  army,  his  stores,  and 
his  baggage,  on  the  other  side  of  Burgos ;  and  such  were  the 
good  order  and  admirable  boldness  of  his  movements,  that  the 
first  division  filed  over  two  bridges  within  close  niusket-sliot  of 
the  fort,  in  a  moonlight  night,  without  losing  a  man.  Some 
other  of  the  troops  suiicred  a  little  from  the  first  discharges  of 
artillery,  which  the  enemy,  when  alarmed,  directed  on  the 
bridge ;  but  so  uncertain  is  the  fire  of  artillery  by  night,  that 
the  range  and  directions  of  the  guns  were  soon  lost,  and  the 
casualties  were  few.  So  complete  was  the  success  of  this  bold 
mancGuvre,  that  Wellington  thus  gained  a  march  upon  the  ene- 
my, who  did  not  overtake  him  in  strength,  till  noon  on  the  28d, 
when  the  French  cavalry  pressed  his  rear-guard  closely.  The 
British  liorse  twice  charged  and  checked  them  a  little ;  but  as 
they  brought  up  fresh  squadrons  every  moment,  the  allied  cav- 
alry was  obliged  to  give  way,  and  fell  back  in  some  haste  and 
confusion  on  the  German  light  infantry  under  colonel  Halkett, 
That  officer  threw  his  men  into  scjuares  and  gallantly  repulsed 
them.  The  same  day  the  army  crossed  the  Pisuerga ;  and  on 
the  evening  of  the  24th  the  whole  was  in  position  behind  the 
Carrion,  the  left  at  Villa  Muriel,  the  right  at  Duenas.  Here 
lord  Wellington  was  reinforced  by  a  brigade  of  guards  under 
lord  Dalhousie,  which  had  been  disembarked  at  Corunna.  The 
army  halted  on  the  2.3th.  The  bridges  over  the  Carrion  at  Va- 
lencia, Villa  Muriel,  and  Duenas,  and  that  on  the  Pisuerg-a  at 
Tariejo,  were  ordered  to  be  mined.  Those  at  Villa  Muriel  and 
Duenas  were  successfully  destroyed ;  but  those  at  Palencia  were 
seized  by  the  enemy  before  any  injury  was  done ;  and  the  mine 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  101 

at  Tariejo  not  being  fully  prepared  was  prematurely  fired  and 
failed,  the  bridge  remaining  passable.  The  covermg  parties  at 
Palencia  and  Tariejo  were  overpowered,  and  tliat  at  the  latter 
post  was  taiton  by  tlie  enemy's  cavalry,  who  crossed  tiie  bridge 
in  force  and  cut  tliem  off.  The  enemy  then  pushed  a  corps 
across  the  Pisuerga.  Ijord  Wellington  instantly  sent  a  column 
and  drove  them  back.  Ujxjn  the  lefl  of  the  allies  they  crossed 
the  Carrion  by  a  ford  at  Villa  Muriel,  and  took  possession  of  a 
village  on  that  flank.  The  Spaniards  were  ordered  to  dislodge 
them  ;  but  the  French  repulsed  the  Spanish  troops.  Tliey  were, 
however,  immediately  rallied,  and  led  on  again  by  general  Alava, 
an  officer  wliose  heroic  example  was  never  wanting  in  any  diffi- 
culty ;  but  ho  was  wounded ;  and  until  they  were  led  by  the 
Brunswick  Oel's  corps,  they  made  no  impression  on  the  enemy, 
and  could  not  force  them  from  the  village :  when  attacked  by 
the  Germans,  the  French  immediately  evacuated  the  post ;  and, 
as  the  fit\h  division  of  the  allies  advanced,  such  columns  of  the 
enemy  as  had  crossed  the  river,  withdrew  and  returned  to  tlie 
other  bank.  On  the  26th  the  army  continued  its  retreat,  and 
crossed  the  Pisuerga  at  Cabezon.  Here,  upon  the  27th,  the 
French  made  an  attempt  to  gain  possession  of  tlie  bridge,  but  it 
was  defeated.  On  the  morning  of  tlie  28th  they  tried  to  pass 
the  river  at  Simancas,  but  the  bridge  was  destroyed.  On  the 
evening  of  the  same  day  they  entered  Tordesillas,  but  found 
that  bridge  also  already  destroyed. 

From  the  heights  above  Valladolid  they  cannonaded  the  high 
road  on  the  opposite  bank,  on  which  the  baggage  of  the  allies 
was  in  march,  but  with  little  effect.  Lord  Wellington  retired 
from  Cabezon  on  the  29th,  destroying  the  bridges  there  and  at 
Valladolid.  He  this  day  passed  the  whole' army  across  the  Douro 
at  TuJcla  and  at  the  Puente  del  Douro.  The  bridges  were  im- 
mediately mined  and  blown  up:  in  like  manner  that  at  Quinla- 
nilla,  and  also  those  of  Toro  and  Zamora,  were  destroyed.  Tlie 
French  observing  that  there  was  only  a  small  guard  at  the  south 
end  of  the  destroyed  bridge  at  Tordesillas,  caused  a  chosen  party 
of  volunteers  to  swim  over  in  the  night  and  attack  it.  Thus 
they  disliKlgod  the  (iermans,  and  immediately  proceeded  to  re- 
pair the  bridge.  Theref()re  lord  Wellington  ttxak  up  ground  in 
front,  placed  his  army  in  battle  jvisition,  and  there  remained  till 
November  the  Oth.  The  bridge  at  Toro,  as  well  as  that  at  Tor- 
desillas, being  now  repaired,  he  fell  back  to  Torrecilla  de  la  Or- 
den  on  the  7th ;  and  upon  the  Htli  took  up  his  old  position  of  St. 
Chri.stoval  in  front  of  Salamanca.  The  same  day  Sir  Rowland 
Hill,  who  had  been  in  communication  witli  lord  Wellington  on 
the  ;M,  and  had  effected  his  junction  on  the  Oth,  crossed  the 
Tormes,  leaving  in  the  town  oi'  Alba  de  Tonnes  a  corps  of  Brit- 
ish and  a  division  of  Portuguese.  General  Hill  liad  broken  up 
1.2 


102  Military  memoirs  op 

from  the  Jarama  on  the  30th  of  August,  and  had  retired  leisurely 
before  Soult  and  Joseph  Buonaparte,  bringing  away  with  him 
the  garrison  of  Madrid. 

The  French  armies  of  the  north,  south,  and  centre  were  united 
upon  the  right  bank  of  the  Tormes  on  the  lOth  of  November. 
Tlieir  combined  forces  amounted  to  near  90,000  combatants, 
counting  12,000  good  cavahy,  and  200  pieces  of  artillery.  The 
allied  army  did  not  exceed  48,000  infantry,  and  5000  horse.  On 
the  10th  the  enemy  attacked  the  town  and  castle  of  Alba  with 
infantry  and  cannon  ;  but  they  made  no  serious  impression,  and 
confined  the  attack  chiefly  to  a  cannonade.  On  the  14th  they 
crossed  the  Tormes  at  the  fords  of  Lucinas,  considerably  above 
Alba,  and  took  post  on  the  wooded  heights  of  Mozarbes.  The 
same  evening  there  was  a  little  skirmishing  and  cannonading ; 
the  two  armies  were  in  presence,  and  large  bodies  of  cavalry 
were  shown  by  the  enemy  on  the  plain  in  front  of  Mozarbes, 
On  the  morning  of  the  15th,  lord  Wellington  placed  his  army 
in  battle  order  near  the  Arapiles,  a  field  which  he  had  already 
made  famous  in  liistory  by  his  glorious  victory  at  Salamanca. 
Soult,  who  commanded  in  chief,  would  not  avail  himself  of  the 
opportunity  thus  afforded  him  of  bringing  the  allies  to  action ; 
but,  manceuvred  on  tlieir  right,  and,  by  threatening  their  com- 
munications with  Ciudad  Uodrigo,  compelled  lord  Wellington, 
who  dared  not,  under  such  manifest  disadvantages,  assume  the 
oflTensive,  to  retire. 

The  allied  army  was  immediately  put  in  motion ;  and,  march- 
ing to  its  right,  gained  the  roads  leading  to  Portugal  in  compact 
and  perfect  order.  These  movements  were  seaBonabiy  masked 
by  rain,  which  fell  in  torrents,  and  they  were  therefore  com- 
pleted without  any  los^.  The  French  followed  the  line  of  re- 
treat with  a  strong  advanced  guard,  but  they  never  pushed  the 
allies  with  earnestness  or  vigor.  They  overtook  and  cannonaded 
the  right  column  on  the  17  th,  as  it  p;i.ssed  the  Hiierba ;  and  the 
cavalry,  on  this  and  the  preceding  day,  had  some  few  skirmishes 
with  their  horse. 

On  the  17th,  Sir  Edward  Paget,  who  commanded  three  di- 
visions, was  taken  prisoner  on  the  road,  in  an  interval  between 
two  of  them.  A  i'ew  Polish  horse  had  been  pushed  forwards 
through  the  wood  upon  the  scout ;  and,  coming  down  upon  the 
road  suddenly,  where  he  rode  attended  only  by  his  orderly  and 
one  officer,  they  fell  upon  the  unsupported  group,  and  carried 
him  off. 

The  sufferings  of  the  army  on  tliis  retreat  were  severe,  and 
the  loss  considerable.  It  rained  with  little  intermission :  the 
roads  were  deep  and  miry,  and  some  of  the  rivers  to  be  forded 
were  breast-high.  Tlie  ground  in  the  bivouacs  was  soaked ;  and 
such  fires  as  the  men  contrived  to  malce,  were  smoky  and  cheer- 


TJIE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  103 

less.  Many  of  the  divisions  had  neither  bread,  biscuit,  nor 
flour ;  and  the  men  liad  only  a  ration  of  lean,  over-driven  beef, 
heated  upon  smoking  ashes,  and  devoured  half  raw. 

On  the  18th,  hoad-tiuarlers  reached  Ciudad  Rodrigo;  and  on 
the  iOth,  the  main  baly  of  the  army  crosf^ed  the  frontier  of 
Portugal,  or  halted  in  the  villages  on  the  Agueda,  while  the 
corps  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill  was  distributed  in  tlie  mountain  ham- 
lets south  of  the  Sierra  de  Francia. 

As  soon  as  it  was  ascertained  that  the  French  armies  had  re- 
tired from  the  Tormes,  the  corps  of  Hill  marched  by  the  Sierra 
de  Gata  to  the  province  of  Coria,  placing  a  [wst  in  the  pass  of 
Bcjar,  and  at  Bafios;  while  the  divisions  of  tlie  main  army  were 
thrown  back  into  comfortable  and  convenient  cantonments  in 
Beira,  the  left  resting  at  Lamego  upon  the  Uouro. 

During  this  retreat  from  the  neighborhood  of  Burgos  on  the 
one  side,  and  from  Madrid  on  the  other,  many  irregularities  were 
committed  by  the  allied  troops  ;  altliough  certainly  those  in  the 
army  retiring  from  Madrid  bcrc  no  proportion  to  the  excesses 
of  the  troops  coming  from  Burgos,  till  they  reached  the  Tormes: 
nor  is  tliis  surprising.  The  troops  under  Hill  liad  not  sustained 
the  same  fatigues,  or  endured  the  same  disappointments,  as  tlie 
soldiers  returning  from  the  north. 

From  the  Tormes,  however,  to  the  Agueda,  there  was  a  great 
(leal  of  misconduct  in  all  divisions  of  the  army,  owing  to  the 
want  of  provisions,  and  the  badness  of  the  weather.  'J 'he  vio- 
lence of  those  who  found  food,  led  to  marauding,  and  tlie  indif- 
ference and  exhaustion  of  those  who  met  with  notiiing  which 
tempted  them  to  exertion,  to  lagging  behind.  Large  droves  of 
swine  are  fe<l  in  the  open  and  e.vtensive  woods  which  the  army 
traversed  :  many  of  the  men,  quitting  their  lines  after  they  were 
halted  for  tJie  night,  himtcd  and  shot  these  animals  for  food. 
The  more  indolent  and  weak  sunk  passively  from  inanition  on 
the  Hue  of  march,  and,  as  there  were  no  means  of  transport  to 
preserve  them,  fell  into  the  hands  of  their  ])ursuors. 

Uixjn  the  arrival  of  the  army  in  quarters,  lord  Wellington  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  the  commanders  of  brigades  and  regiments, 
censuring  them,  their  othcers,  and  their  men,  with  extreme  se- 
verity. 'J'hcso  bitter  reproaches  were  hattily  made,  and  they 
were  received  by  the  army  in  general  with  vexation,  and  by 
some  of  the  oldest  and  best  disciplined  rcgimcnt.s  with  a  mo- 
mentary feelinij  of  resentment ;  Ibr  there  were  many  corps  that 
maintained  their  discipline  perfectly,  and  whose  losses  were  tri- 
fling, and  clearly  accounted  for.  But  when  they  considered  all 
the  diflicultio.'s,  disappointments,  and  vexations  of  that  leader 
who  had  .so  ably  and  so  often  guided  them  to  victory,  they  forgot 
their  mortification,  and  promised  themselves  the  noble  revenge 


104  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

of  achieving,  under  his  auspicious  guidance,  yet  brighter  tri- 
umphs in  the  next  campaign,  than  those  already  won. 

One  of  the  objects  for  which  lord  Wellington  had  advanced 
to  Madrid  had  been  attained  most  fully.  The  south  of  Spain 
was  evacuated.  The  reasonable  expectations  of  the  British 
commander,  as  to  other  objects,  were  disappointed.  How  they 
were  disappointed  has  been  told ;  on  no  side  did  he  find  co-opera- 
tion. The  British  ministry  had  been  tardy  with  their  support ; 
nor,  when  it  came,  was  it  large  or  efficient.  The  military 
means  of  Spain  were  feeble;  and  where  they  presented  the 
promise  of  good  and  important  service,  the  inability  or  the 
obstinate  jealousy  of  the  individuals  in  command  of  them  frus- 
trated the  designs,  and  forbade  the  confidence,  of  a  general  who 
had  to  contend  with  French  armies,  mustering,  whenever  they 
chose  to  combine,  nearly  double  the  strength  of  the  British  and 
Portuguese  forces.  Yet,  in  the  face  of  all  these  disadvantages, 
lord  Wellington,  in  one  year,  wrested  from  them  two  fortresses, 
won  a  pitched  battle,  penetrated  to  the  capital,  drove  away  the 
intrusive  king  for  a  season,  liberated  Andalusia  from  his  power, 
and  shook  the  throne  on  which  he  sate. 

For  these  services  he  had  been  created  Marquis  by  the  prince 
regent,  who  estimated  his  achievements  with  a  princely  mind, 
and  rewarded  them  with  a  princely  hand.  To  enable  the  mar- 
quis of  Wellington  to  support  this  dignity,  parliament  unani- 
mously voted  a  grant  of  100,000/.  to  purchase  land.  But  the 
conqueror  of  July  was,  in  November,  compelled,  by  circum- 
stances beyond  his  control,  once  more  to  seek  the  friendly  and 
defensive  ix)sitions  of  Portugal. 

The  failure  before  Burgos  was  no  surprise  to  lord  Welling- 
ton ;  he  had  ventured  a  siege,  and  that  justifiably,  with  small 
means :  and  he  attributed  in  part  to  that  circumstance,  and  in 
part  to  the  ability  and  gallantry  of  the  governor  and  his  garrison, 
the  defeat  of  his  attempt.  When  the  extensive  combinations  of 
the  French  marshals  caused  him  to  break  up  from  before  Burgos 
and  retire,  the  skill  of  his  movements,  the  firmness  of  his  coun- 
tenance, his  short  marches,  his  frequent  halts,  evinced  the 
course  he  was  pursuing  to  be  that  which  he  knew  was  neces- 
sary, and  to  which  he  calmly  and  deliberately  yielded  from  a 
conviction  of  its  wisdom. 

That  party,  however,  in  England,  to  which  the  successes  of 
Wellington  and  the  glory  of  the  British  arms  gave  no  pleasure, 
hailed  the  retreat  from  Burgos  as  a  help  to  their  faction.  The 
people  of  England,  easily  elated  by  good  news,  and  soon  de- 
pressed by  bad — too  sanguine  and  extravagant  in  their  hopes, 
and  too  deepty  dejected  by  whatever  may  disappoint  them — 
listened  eagerly  to  the  noisy  clamors,  crude  opinions,  and  base 
sentiments  of  the  violent  opponents  of  the  war,  and  were,  for  a 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  105 

time,  abused  into  the  belief  tliat  Wellington  was  rash  and  in- 
capable; that  the  Sjjaniards  were  indifferent  to  their  fate  ;  that 
the  name  of  Englishman  was  hateful  to  their  ears  ;  and  that  the 
final  issue  of  tlie  contest  would  assuredly  be  disastrous.  Never- 
tlielcss,  in  parliament,  those  voices  prevailed  which,  in  the  tnie 
English  spirit,  resolved  to  abide  that  issue  ;  and  when  tlie  people 
recovered  from  the  delut-ion  into  which  the  language  of  the  op- 
position betrayed  them,  they  were  not  only  satisfied  but  eager 
that  England  should  put  furlli  all  her  strength.  Therefore  rein- 
forcements of  every  description,  but  especially  of  cavalry,  of 
which  there  had  been  ever  a  deficiency,  were  now  s^nt  to  the 
Peninsula.  Lord  Wellington  most  busily  employed  his  winter 
season.  lie  gave  his  best  attention  to  the  organization  and 
equipment  of  his  army.  lie  directed  tliat  the  large  iron  camp 
kettles  should  be  no  longer  used ;  and  that  the  mules  which 
had  hitherto  carried  them,  sliould  henceforth  be  appropriated  to 
the  conveyance  of  three  tents  a  company.  Thus  the  men  off 
duty  would  always  be  provided  with  some  cover  in  the  field, 
winch  would  save  many  ca.sualties  from  sickness.  Moreover, 
expedition  in  preparing  their  food,  as  well  as  real  comfort,  was 
gained,  by  issuing  to  the  men  small  kettles,  and  dividing  the 
companies  into  small  messes.  These  changes  were  very  great 
improvements,  promoting  comfort  and  health  in  a  manner  not 
before  thought  uiwn,  and  necessarily  tending  to  keep  the  army 
efilcient  in  the  field.  This  winter,  also,  a  pontcxjn  train  was 
prej^ired  to  accompany  the  line  of  march  in  the  next  campaign. 
While  tiiese  arrangements  were  in  progress,  the  niartiuis  of 
Wellington  went  to  Cadiz  to  communicate  in  perscn  with  tlie 
Spanish  government.  Ue  was  received  with  all  that  admiration 
and  confidence  which  his  character  and  exploits  liad  already 
obtained  for  him.  lie  was,  in  the  first  instance,  waited  ujxin  by 
a  deputation  from  the  cortez:  when,  afterwards,  be  was  solemnly 
introduced  into  the  hall  of  tlfe  cortez  in  the  Spanish  uniform, 
tlie  acclamations  were  loud  and  honest;  and  as  he  replied  to  the 
address  made  him  in  tiic  Spanish  language,  their  joy  and  satis- 
faction was  again  warmly  manifested.  His  stay  at  Cadiz  was 
short;  but  liis  visit  liud  a  most  admirable  efiect  in  promoting 
the  good  understanding  and  cordial  unm\  between  himself  and 
the  Spaiiisii  executive,  so  essential  to  the  triumph  of  the  great 
and  common  cause.  They  conferred  on  him  the  rank  and 
authority  of  generalissimo  of  the  Spanish  f()rces,  and  they  ar- 
ranged that  he  sh<jnld  have  the  active  cooperation  of  50,l)(X) 
Spanish  trfxjps  in  the  next  cam|)aign. 

Lord  Wellington  returned  to  the  army  by  the  way  of  Lisbon. 
His  rece])tion  here  was  most  honorable  and  distinguished.  As 
he  rode  tiiniugh  the  streets,  expressions  of  enthusiasm,  gratitude, 
and  praise  burst  out  from  the  applauding  vcjices  of  the  iunuiner- 


106  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

able  spectatOTs  who  crowded  upon  his  path.  The  city  was 
illuminated  for  three  nights.  He  was  received  by  the  lords  and 
regent  of  the  kingdom,  in  the  palace  of  government,  with  the 
highest  honors.  He  was  feasted  in  the  palace  during  his  stay ; 
and,  when  he  appeared  in  the  large  theatre  of  San  Carlos, 
which  was  crowded  to  the  roof,  the  thunders  of  applause,  and 
tlie  rapturous  acclamations  of  a  delivered  and  exalted  nation, 
knew  no  bounds.  He  had  driven  the  invader  from  their  gates : 
he  had  led  the  husbands  and  brothers  and  sons  of  Portugal  to 
battle  and  to  victory.  It  was  about  this  period  that  the  prince 
regent  of  Portugal  conferred  on  him  the  rank  of  duke,  with  the 
title  of  Vittoria, — a  remarkable  coincidence ;  a  prophetic  an- 
nouncement of  that  signal  triumph  which  was  yet  to  come. 

It  may  here  be  noticed,  that  from  the  beginning  of  the  war 
in  the  Peninsula,  though  the  marquis  of  Wellington  received 
from  tlie  governments  of  Portugal  and  Spain  all  honorary  dis- 
tinctions which  they  bestowed ;  with  a  becoming  pride,  yet  with 
the  disinterestedness  of  a  noble  nature,  he  declmed  the  emolu- 
ments attached  to  those  dignities ;  leaving  thus  untouched,  in- 
comes that  would  have  arisen  from  various  sources  to  the  sum 
of  17,000  dollars  a  year. 

Such  was  the  conduct  of  a  British  general,  whose  pay  as  com- 
mander of  the  forces  did  not  defray  his  expenses,  who  had  a 
family  to  be  maintained  in  England ;  and,  until  the  parliament 
had  voted  him  the  income,  and  the  grant  to  enable  him  to  sup- 
port the  dignities  of  earl  and  marquis,  was  certainly  not  the 
richer  for  having  served.  At  all  times,  lord  Wellington  spent 
large  sums  in  charity ;  and  during  the  invasion  of  Portugal,  in 
1810,  especially  in  the  winter  of  that  year,  he  distributed  a  great 
deal  of  money  from  his  private  purse  to  relieve  the  distress  and 
necessity  around  him. 

It  gave  great  pleasure  to  the  army  to  see  such  a  man  ap- 
pointed (as  he  was  in  January,  1813)  colonel  of  the  royal  horse 
guards — the  Blues — an  honor  well  bestowed,  and  which  added 
largely  to  his  income. 

This  appointment  gratified  lord  Wellington  more  than  any 
dignity  yet  bestowed  on  him  ;  and  he  did  not  expect  it.  He 
haxl  no  time  to  attend  to  his  own  affairs,  and  he  made  it  a  rule 
to  ask  for  nothing ;  considering,  with  a  due  self-reverence,  that 
while  he  was  serving  the  country  to  the  best  of  his  ability, 
whatever  it  was  expedient  or  proper  he  should  receive,  would 
be  given  freely.  Nevertheless,  so  far  was  he  from  making  a 
high  and  vain  estimate  of  his  services  and  claims,  that,  when  he 
announced  his  appointment  at  his  own  table,  he  exclaimed  with 
the  liveliest  joy — "I  am  the  luckiest  fellow  in  the  world;  I 
must  have  been  born  under  some  extraordinary  planet," 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  107 


CHAP.  X. 

ASPECT  OF  AFFAIRS   IN  THE   SPRING  OF  1813. LORD   WELUNGTON  OPENS 

THE    CAMPAIGN  IN  MAY ADVANCES TURNS   THE   LINE    OF  THE    DOURO 

TURNS    THE  LINE  OF  THE    EBRD BRINGS    THE   ENEMY  TO  BATTLE  AT 

VITTORIA DEFEATS     TIIEM DRIVES     THEM    OUT   OF    SPAIN ENCAMPS 

UPON  THE  PYRENEES. 

The  implacable  hostility  of  Napoleon  to  England  was  the 
cause  of  his  rupture  with  the  emperor  Alexander  in  1812.  It 
was  to  exclude  the  commerce  of  England  from  the  whole  con- 
tinent of  fjurope,  that  this  man,  blinded  by  a  spirit  of  tyranny 
and  ambition,  led  4()0,0()0  soldiers  into  the  very  heart  of  Russia. 
For  this  object  he  carried  war  and  desolation  300  leagues  be- 
yond the  Vistula,  and  planted  his  eagles  on  the  towers  of  Mos- 
cow. But  the  stern  and  patriotic  devotion  of  the  Russ  suffered 
him  only  to  possess  the  ruins  of  that  ancient  capital.  As  he  en- 
tered, flames,  kindled  by  Russian  hands,  burst  out  on  all  sides; 
and  he  found  himself  the  baffled  master  of  a  silent  and  aban- 
doned city,  amid  tlie  ruins  of  which  he  for  a  time  sullenly  re- 
posed. He  had  won,  indeed,  a  victory ;  but  had  grasped  a 
shadow.  He  was  without  magazines;  without  reserves;  unable 
to  advance  further ;  unwilling  to  retrace  his  steps.  He  lingered 
so  long  before  he  retired,  tJiat  winter  broke  in  all  its  gloomy 
terrors  upon  his  march,  and  his  army  was  overtaken  by  a  tre- 
mendous vengeance.  The  vast  majority  of  his  gallant  troops 
perished  miserably  in  the  snow.  Numbers  were  slain  and  many 
taken  by  their  hardy  pursuers.  Napoleon  himself,  with  a  single 
attendant,  fled  in  a  sledge  to  Poland.  A  weak,  and  wretched 
band  of  fugitives,  the  small  wreck  of  one  of  the  largest  and 
finest  armies  ever  arrayed  for  conquest,  was  the  only  body  that 
reached  the  line  of  the  Elbe.  Here,  supjxirted  by  reserves 
drawn  >rjfl6m  every  quarter  liastily,  they  at  last  rallied,  and  the 
pursuit  was  stayed.  Russia  seized  the  opportunity  to  tlirow  off 
the  yoke  of  Blionaparto ; — and  all  the  strength  he  could  yet 
collect  was  wanted  for  his  struggle  in  Germany.  Under  these 
circumstances,  Soult  with  a  considerable  body  of  troops  had 
been  summoned  from  Spain.  Nevertheless  150,000  Frenchmen 
were  still  dispersed  over  her  provinces;  of  which  a  force  of  no 
less  than  70,(KK)  men  were  disposable  to  take  the  field  in  the 
spring  of  1813,  and  to  mainUiin  itself  against  the  efforts  of  the 
allies"  But  the  united  strength  of  the  Peninsula  was  now 
placed  in  the  iiands  of  lord  VVellington.  And  the  deliverance 
of  S])ain  was  near.  .While  the  allied  army  remained  in  canton- 
ments, no  hostile  movement  of  imjwrtancc  occurred.  The 
British  post  at  Bejar,  in  the  mountiiins  of  tliat  name,  was  sud- 
denly assailed  in  February,  by  a  French  column  under  general 


108  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

Foy ;  but  the  garrison  got  notice  of  his  approach,  and  he  was 
immediately  and  vigorously  repulsed.  After  this  the  tranquillity 
of  the  cantonments  was  never  for  one  moment  disturbed,  till,  in 
the  month  of  May,  the  campaign  of  1813  was  opened  by  lord 
Wellington.  The  Anglo-Portuguese  army  now  consisted  of 
65,000  infantry,  and  6500  cavalry.  A  division  of  Spaniards 
under  Murillo  had  lain  in  Estremadura.  Tlie  army  of  Gallicia, 
under  Giron,  occupied  the  frontier  of  tliat  province.  A  force' 
was  organized  in  Andalusia  under  O'Donnel,  as  an  army  of  re- 
serve. The  duke  del  Parque  commanded  a  corps  of  Spaniards 
in  La  Mancha ;  and  general  Elio  observed  the  frontiers  of  Mur- 
cia  and  Valencia  with  another.  The  French  armies  of  the 
centre  and  the  south  occupied  Madrid  and  Toledo,  and  were  dis- 
tributed over  Castile  and  the  central  provinces,  for  the  conve- 
nience of  subsisting  them.  The  army  of  Portugal  had  its  head- 
quarters at  Valladolid ;  and  the  line  of  the  Douro  was  strength- 
ened and  guarded  with  the  utmost  care.  Two  divisions  of  the 
army  of  the  north  were  in  the  provinces  of  Aragon  and  Biscay ; 
and  Suchet  held  Catalonia  and  Valencia  with  an  army  of  more 
than  35,000  men. 

The  troops  which  had  accompanied  Soult  to  Germany  only 
amounted  to  20,000 ;  and  the  armies  of  Portugal,  the  centre, 
and  the  south,  could  still  bring  70,000  men  into  the  field. 
These  corps  were  collected  to  opix)se  the  allies;  and  they  were 
placed  under  the  immediate  command  of  Joseph,  with  marshal 
Jourdan  for  his  major-general.  Lord  Wellington  opened  the 
campaign  with  a  grand  movement.  Having  secretly  prepared 
at  different  points,  between  Lamego  and  the  frontier,  the  means 
of  transport,  he  threw  five  divisions  of  infantry  and  two  brigades 
of  cavalry  across  the  Douro ;  and  directed  Sir  Thomas  Graham 
to  conduct  them  through  the  province  of  Tras  os  Montes  upon 
Zamora.  Lord  Wellington  himself  led  two  divisions  of  infantry, 
a  corps  of  Spaniards,  and  a  body  of  cavalry,  upon  Salamanca ; 
while  Sir  Rowland  Hill  brought  his  corps  by  the  mountains 
from  upper  Estremadura,  descended  upon  the  Tormes  above 
Alba,  and  advanced  also  to  the  same  point.  The  centre  and 
right  of  the  army  were  here  united  on  the  25th  of  May.  The 
French  detachment  in  Salamanca,  consisting  of  400  cavalry 
and  3000  infantry,  retired  before  the  allies;  and,  being  can- 
nonaded, and  close  pressed  by  the  cavalry  and  horse-artillery, 
lost  about  200  men  in  killed  and  wounded,  and  as  many  taken. 
The  troops  advanced  about  sixteen  miles ;  and  here  the  right 
wing  of  the  army  was  halted  between  the  Douro  and  the 
Tormes ;  while  the  left,  under  Graham,  was  gaining  tlie  enemy's 
right  by  Miranda  and  Carvajales.  Tras  os  Montes  is  a  wild 
mountainous  country,  most  diflScult  for  an  army  to  traverse. 
The  roads  are  bad  and  narrow ;  the  ravines  of  great  deptli ;  and 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  109 

the  ascents  from  some  of  the  rivers  so  steep,  that,  without  the 
aid  of  drag-ropts,  and  strong  fatigue  parties,  it  is  impossible  to 
draw  up  the  artillery. 

By  goo<l  arrangements,  great  exertions,  and,  above  all,  by 
hearty  good-will,  tJiese  difficulties  were  overcome.  Sir  Thomas 
Graham  reached  the  frontier  on  the  appointed  day,  and  estab- 
lished liis  communication  with  tlie  army  of  Gallicia.  The 
French  retired  from  the  banks  of  the  Esla  as  soon  as  Graham 
appeared  in  their  front.  He  passed  the  Esla  by  a  pontoon  bridge 
on  the  31st  of  May,  and  advanced  towards  Zamora.  Tliiis  was 
the  formidable  line  of  the  Douro  turned,  and  the  defensive 
works  of  the  enemy  rendered  at  once  useless.  They  immedi- 
ately destroyed  the  bridges  at  Zamora  and  Toro,  abandoned 
those  posts  in  haste,  and  retired  upon  Morales.  Near  this 
place,  the  hussar  brigade  under  colonel  Grant  overtook  their 
rear-guard  of  cavalry,  and  immediately  charged  and  overthrew 
it  The  enemy  had  several  slain ;  and  being  pursued,  lost  near 
200  prisoners.  The  same  evening  a  French  piquet  at  Castro- 
nufio  was  surprised  and  taken  by  the  Spaniards  of  don  Julian, 
the  guerilla.  The  bridge  of  Toro  being  restored,  the  corps  of 
Hill  crossed  the  river,  and  the  whole  of  the  allied  army  was 
united  on  the  right  bank  of  tlie  Douro  on  the  3d  of  June, 

These  brilliant  and  rapid  movements  of  lord  Wellington  as- 
tonished and  alarmed  the  enemy.  The  passage  of  the  Douro 
within  the  frontier  of  Portugal,  and  the  flank  march  through 
Tras  OS  Montcs,  were  operations  not  deemed  practicable,  and 
never  even  suspected.  The  army  at  Madrid  abandoned  tliat 
capital  instantly,  and,  marching  swiftly,  passed  the  river  at  Pu- 
ente  de  Douro,  and  joined  the  army  of  Portugal. 

On  the  4th  of  June,  lord  Wellington,  by  marching  to  Ampui- 
da,  on  the  north  of  Valladolid,  compelled  the  French  to  evacuate 
that  city,  and  retire  behind  the  Carrion.  On  the  7lh,  the  allies 
crossed  ^|pt  river  at  Valencia,  and  the  French  withdrew  behind 
the  Iloririaza.  Ix)rd  Wellington  still  continued  to  manopuvre  to 
his  left ;  crossed  the  Pisuerga  in  force,  and,  menacing  the 
enemy's  line  of  comnmnication,  forced  tliem  to  retire  on  Burgos, 
where  they  assembled  all  tlicir  forces,  leaving  a  strong  corps 
upon  the  heights  above  the  village  of  Ilormaza  under  count 
Rcile.  Upon  tlie  12tii  of  June,  lord  Wellington  made  a  strong 
reconnoissance  with  the  corps  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill  and  all  the 
cavalry  ;  and  dislodging  this  body,  drove  it  back  upon  the  main 
baiy.  At  an  early  Iiour  on  tiie  tbllowing  morning,  the  castle 
of  Burgos  was  destroyed  by  explo<ling  tlie  defences;  and  the 
French  army,  abandoning  Burgos,  was  already  in  full  march  for 
Miranda,  placing  a  garrison  in  the  lofty  and  strong  castle  of 
Pancorbo,  which  commands  and  bars  the  great  road  to  Navarre. 

Thus,  by  a  succession  of  the  most  able  movements,  tlie  enemy 

Vol.  II.  K 


110  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

were  driven  behind  the  Ebro,  without  having  been  permitted  to 
retain,  for  a  day,  one  of  the  many  fine  and  defensible  positions 
which  are  to  be  found  upon  that  long  route  ;  for  so  long  a  period 
their  main  and  well  secured  communication  with  the  north,  and 
with  Bayonne.  While  the  French  staff,  on  their  part,  were 
wondering  that  lord  Wellington  did  not  appear  in  pursuit  on  the 
great  route,  he  was  secretly  and  rapidly  executing  one  of  those 
brilliant  manoeuvres,  by  which  this  memorable  march  from  the 
frontiers  of  Portugal  to  those  of  France  was  distinguished.    .. 

Aware  of  the  difficulty  of  the  Pancorbo  pass,  and  of  the  strong 
and  well-nigh  impregnable  positions  on  the  Ebro,  to  which  the 
enemy  was  retired,  he  declined  the  attempt  of  forcing  the 
passage  of  that  river  in  the  face  of  so  powerful  an  army.  He 
now  struck  suddenly  to  his  left,  and  conducted  his  whole  force 
by  a  route  very  unfrequented,  and  thought  hitherto  impractica- 
ble for  carriages,  to  the  bridges  of  Sap  Martin,  Rocamude,  and 
Puente  de  Arenas,  near  the  sources  of  the  Ebro.  By  these 
bridges  the  whole  army,  with  its  guns  and  wheel  carriages, 
passed  the  river  without  seeing  an  enemy,  on  the  14th  and  15th, 
Here,  as  in  Tras  os  Montes,  it  was  only  by  unequalled  exertions 
that  the  march  was  effected ;  for  the  narrow  roads  wind  through 
low  and  secluded  valleys,  and  among  steep  and  rugged  moun- 
tains, where  an  army  had  never  passed  in  the  memory  of  the 
inhabitants. 

On  the  16th,  the  allies  moved  to  their  right  through  a  strong 
and  defensible  country,  without  any  opposition.  It  was  not  till 
the  18th  that  the  light  division  came  suddenly  upon  two  French 
brigades  on  the  marcli  to  Vittoria.  These  troops  were  immedi- 
ately attacked  by  the  British,  and  lost  near  300  men.  This 
same  evening,  for  the  first  time,  the  French  head-quarters  were 
apprized  that  the  allied  army  had  passed  the  Ebro,  and  were  in 
full  march  upon  their  flank.  The  French  staff  were  confounded 
with  astonishment;  and  the  enemy  made  a  forced  march  to 
their  rear,  by  night,  in  great  confusion  and  alarm. 

On  the  day  on  which  the  light  division  was  engaged  near  St. 
Millan,  a  French  corps  of  observation,  suddenly  assembled  at 
Espejo,  attacked  the  first  and  fifth  divisions,  under  Sir  Thomas 
Graham,  at  Osma,  but  they  were  driven  back  to  Espejo.  From 
hence  they  marched  instantly,  and  took  up  a  strong  position  be- 
hind the  river  Bayas ;  having  their  right  at  Subijana,  and  their 
left  on  the  heights  in  front  of  Pobes.  Lord  Wellington,  attack- 
ing this  position  in  front  and  on  the  left,  with  two  divisions  on 
the  19th,  turned  tlie  enemy  out  of  it,  and  drove  them  back  upon 
the  main  body  of  their  army.  On  tlie  night  of  the  19th,  Joseph 
concentrated  all  his  forces  at  Vittoria,  and  placed  them  in  a 
battle  position.     During  tlie  20th,  lord  Wellington  closed  up  his 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  Ill 

rear,  collected  all  his  divisions,  and  reconnoitred  the  position 
of  the  enemy. 

The  French  armies  occupied  a  line  nearly  eight  miles  in 
extent  Their  extreme  left  rested  upon  the  lolly  heights  of  La 
Puebla.  Their  right  was  posted  upon  liigh  ground  above  the 
villages  of  Abechuco  and  Gamarra  Mayor.  Their  centre  covered 
a  range  of  strong  hills  on  the  left  bank  of  tlie  Zadorra,  and  com- 
manded the  valley  througli  which  it  flows  towards  tlie  south  in 
front  of  Vittoria.  Part  of  their  left  wing  was  drawn  up,  touch- 
ing the  left  centre,  on  steep  and  commanding  ridges  above  the 
village  of  Subijana  de  Alava.  A  strong  reserve  was  posted  in 
rear  of  tlie  centre  at  the  village  of  Gomecha.  Their  light 
troops  lined  the  banks  of  the  Zadorra  in  front  of  the  centre,  and 
tlie  bridges  over  that  river  were  fortified.  A  woody  space  be- 
tween the  centre  and  right  was  also  occupied  by  light  infantry ; 
and  some  field  works  had  been  thrown  up  in  front  of  Abechuco 
and  Gamarra  Mayor.  Thus  posted,  the  enemy  covered  the  city 
of  Vittoria,  and  held  the  three  great  roads,  which,  from  Lo- 
grono,  Madrid,  and  Bilboa,  unite  in  tliat  city,  and  thence  pursue 
one  line  to  Bayonne. 

Here,  therefore,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  the  enemy 
should  make  a  re.solute  stand  to  protect  the  main  road  to  Bayonne, 
and  to  cover  the  evacuation  of  their  grand  depot  at  Vittoria,  as 
well  as  the  orderly  and  safe  march  of  those  inimen.se  convoys 
which  had  accompanied  them  from  tlie  heart  of  iSpain.  Joseph 
Buonaparte  nominally  commanded  in  person.  The  armies  of 
Portugal  and  the  south  were  in  the  first  line,  that  of  the  centre 
and  the  cavalry  in  reserve.  Thus  they  had  near  70,000  com- 
batants, and  100  pieces  of  cannon,  arrayed  in  battle-order.  The 
allies  outnumbered  them  by  4000  or  50(K).  All  the  divisions  of 
the  Anglo- Portuguese  were  present,  willi  the  exception  of  the 
sixth,  which  was  detained  at  Medina  in  observation;  for  there 
was  a  corps  of  P2,000  French  in  the  direction  of  Bilboa,  under 
general  Foy  ;  and  general  Clausel,  with  a  body  of  15,000  men, 
was  at  Logrono.  13ut  the  French,  actually  ijre.'^ent  on  the  field 
of  battle,  could  not  have  been  .short  of  70,000;  and  in  tlie  num- 
ber given  for  the  allicrf  are  included  tliree  divisions  of  Spaniards, 
under  Giron,  Ixinga,  and  Murillo. 

The  sun  of  the  21st  of  June  rose  clear  and  cloudless.  The 
allied  columns  stwxl  to  their  arms,  and  marched  from  tlieir 
bivouacs  on  the  Biiyas,  in  the  assured  hoj)e  of  a  day  of  glory. 
Lord  Wellington  di.s|KKScd  the  army  in  three  corps.  The  right 
under  Sir  llowland  Hill;  the  left  under  Sir  Tiiomas  Graham ; 
while  the  centre,  consisting  of  four  divisions  formed  in  two 
colunnis,  received  orders  more  immediately  from  Jiiinself  In 
the  right  corps  was  the  allied  division  under  Sir  William  Stew- 
art, the  Portuguese  division  under  the  conde-dc  Amarautc,  and 


1 12  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

a  division  of  Spaniards  under  Murillo.  In  the  centre  were  the 
divisions  of  Sir  Lovvry  Cole  and  baron  Alien,  and  those  of  lord 
Dalhousie  and  Sir  Thomas  Picton.  On  the  left,  with  Sir  Thomas 
Graham,  were  the  first  division  and  general  Oswald's;  also  two 
brigades  of  cavalry,  and  the  Spanish  division  of  Longa.  The 
centre  of  the  enemy's  position  was  so  strong,  and  it  was  de- 
fended by  such  enormous  batteries  of  field  artillery,  and  so  large 
a  force,  that  any  attempt  to  pierce  it  was  not  hopeful  or  prudent ; 
though  the  immense  extent  of  line  from  Abechuco  to  Puebla 
would,  with  a  less  formidable  post  for  the  centre,  have  favored 
such  an  attack.  As  it  was,  it  became  necessary  to  force  back 
the  enemy's  flanks,  and  to  delay  any  assault  on  the  French  cen- 
tre till  the  right  or  left  corps  of  the  allies  should  have  crossed 
the  Zadorra,  and  be  so  well  advanced  as  to  give  a  powerful  sup- 
port in  flank  to  a  front  attack.  The  Spaniards  of  Murillo  com- 
menced the  action,  supiwrted  by  the  light  companies  of  the 
second  division,  and  the  71st  light  infantry  under  the  honorable 
colonel  Cadogan.  The  Spaniards  ascended  the  steep  heights 
of  Puebla  with  great  spirit,  and  were  soon  engaged  with  the 
enemy,  who  kept  up  a  very  hot  fire  of  musketry  on  their  ad- 
vance. Murillo  behaved  admirably;  he  was  wounded,  but  kept 
the  field,  and  continued  the  combat  with  good  countenance,  till 
the  support  under  colonel  Cadogan  came  to  his  aid.  The  enemy 
reinforced  this  point  strongly,  and  a  severe  struggle  ensued ; 
but  they  were  at  length  driven  back,  though  not  Avithout  having 
inflicted  a  heavy  loss  on  the  allies.  The  71st  regim.ent  lost  400 
men ;  and  Cadogan,  tlie  heroic  commander  of  that  gallant  corps, 
fell  mortally  wounded  at  its  head :  he  died  upon  the  field, 
with  his  eyes  anxiously  following  its  advance.  The  heights  of 
Puebla  thus  won,  Sir  Rowland  Hill  directed  two  brigades  of  the 
second  division  to  carry  the  village  and  heights  of  Subijana  de 
Alava.  The  village  was  immediatelv  seized  by  the  brigade  of 
colonel  O'Callaghan,  witho"*  ^«..  Le  defensive  cannonade 
from  the  heights  above,  tho(  i  'i  hfca .  being  ill  directed.  The 
enemy,  however,  soon  fUlo  '^■i*-^  '"  les  among  the  heights 
above,  and  a  wood  to  the  1  .  rs  ^  i  i  iana,  witii  a  swarm  of 
tirailleurs,  and  made  repeati  .  .„\,j{ls  to  recover  the  village ; 
but  they  were  stoutly  opposed,  and  the  ground  was  contested 
hotly.  The  regiments  which  skirmished  opposite  the  wood 
suffered  severely  from  the  fire  of  the  French  voltiguers,  and  the 
combat  was  maintained  here  until  the  head  of  a  column,  directed 
by  Sir  Rowland  Hill  to  advance  along  the  lofty  ridge  running 
from  the  Puebla  mountain,  appeared  upon  the  enemy's  flank. 
About  this  time,  the  fourth  and  light  divisions  under  general 
Cole  passed  the  Zadorra ;  the  former  at  the  bridge  of  Nanclares, 
the  latter  at  that  of  Tres  Puentes.  Almost  as  soon  as  these  had 
crossed,  the  column  under  tlie  ear]  of  Palhousie  reacJued  its 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  113 

point  of  attack  ;  and  the  third  division  under  Sir  Thomas  Picton, 
followed  by  the  seventh  under  the  earl,  crossed  the  bridge  on 
the  Mendonza  road  higher  up.  These  tour  divisions  formed 
rapidly  on  the  left  of  the  2^dorra,  and  advanced  against  the 
enemy's  right  centre  ;  while  their  left  centre  was  immediately 
exposed  to  a  flank  attack  by  the  complete  success  of  Sir  Row- 
land Hill,  who  now  followed  up  their  retreat  from  Subijana  de 
Alava  with  his  wonted  steadiness  and  vigor.  The  allied  columns 
vvhicli  advanced  against  the  enemy's  right  centre  were  furiously 
engaged.  They  were  received  with  a  most  destructive  fire; 
but  they  moved  on  in  admirable  order,  notwithstanding  the  dif- 
ficulty of  the  ground.  It  was  not  possible  for  the  movements 
of  any  troops  to  be  conducted  with  more  spirit  and  regularity. 
The  advance  was  made  by  echellons  of  regiments  in  two  or 
three  lines,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  ground.  The  brigade 
of  general  Colville,  in  Picton's  division,  being  on  the  left,  led 
up,  and  was  first  engaged,  the  enemy  falling  upon  it  hotly  in 
very  superior  force  ;  it  not  only  stoutly  held  ground  against  this 
attack,  but,  assailing  in  turn,  drove  before  it  this  body,  and 
coming  on  its  reserve  lines  well  formed,  overthrew  them  at  the 
bayonet's  point  and  captured  their  guns.  In  the  village  of 
Arifiez,  the  enemy  fought  for  a  time  witli  better  success ;  but  it 
was  at  last  carried  by  the  bayonet  As  the  fourth  and  light 
divisions  advanced,  the  French  fell  back  upon  Vittoria  in  good 
order.  So  long,  however,  as  tiicy  did  maintain  themselves 
against  these  attacks  of  their  centre,*  tiie  fire  of  their  artillery 
was  terrible:  .SO  guns  were  thundering  from  their  position. 
While  the  right  and  centre  of  the  allies  were  thus  vigorously 
pursuing  their  success,  the  left  column  under  Sir  Thomas  Gra- 
ham, sup])orted  by  a  Spani-sh  division  under  general  Giron, 
attacked  the  French  right  on  the  heights  above  the  village  of 
Abeclmco,  and  carried  them.  This  done.  Sir  Thomas  Graham 
directed  general  Oswald  to  assail  the  post  of  (Janiarra  Mayor, 
and  formed  the  first  division  to  attack  Abechuco.  Ik)th  these 
villages  having  bridges  over  the  Zadorra  were  strongly  occupied. 
Gamarra  Mayor  was  stormed  by  a  brigade  of  general  Oswald's 
division,  and  carried  at  the  bayoiict's  ix)int  without  firing  a  shot. 
General  Robinson,  under  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery  and  musketry, 
led  up  ids  troops  to  this  gallant  attack  in  columns  of  battalions, 
with  tiie  support  of  two  guns  of  major  liawson's  brigade  of  ar- 
tillery. Sir  Thomas  Graham  now  placed  two  brigades  of  field 
artillery  in  battery  against  Abechuco;  and,  under  cover  of  this 
fire,  colonel  Halketi  with  the  German  liglit  battalions,  supported 

*  Tlii^  li^ii;lit«  on  which  the  Frniich  cpntre  8ton<l,  are  by  tradition  the  saiiio 
on  which  Ihi^  EnKli^h  under  Edward  the  Itlack  Prince  obtained  a  complete 
victory  over  the  army  of  Henry  the  Bastard,  and  sealed  don  Pedro,  the  right- 
ful kinz,  on  the  throne. 

K2 


1 14  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

by  a  brigade  of  Portuguese  infantry  under  general  Bradford, 
dislodged  the  enemy  by  so  resolute  an  assault,  that  one  of  the 
German  battalions  took  two  guns  and  a  howitzer  on  the  bridge. 
While  this  combat  took  place  at  Abechuco,  the  enemy  made  die 
greatest  efforts  to  retake  Gamarra  Mayor ;  but  general  Oswald 
defeated  them  with  the  same  gallantry  which  had  distinguished 
his  first  attack.  Upon  the  heights  on  the  left  of  the  Zadorra 
the  enemy  still  had  two  divisions  of  infantry  in  reserve,  posted 
so  strongly  that  it  was  not  possible  as  yet  for  the  troops  of  Sir 
Thomas  Graham  to  pass  the  bridges  which  they  had  so  bravely 
taken  :  but  they  waited  eagerly  for  that  moment  when  the  per- 
fected combinations  of  lord  Wellington  should  loosen  them  to 
pursue ;  for  already  they  could  hear  tlie  advancing  battle  in  the 
centre.  No  sooner  liad  the  allies  passed  Vittoria  in  pursuit  of 
the  enemy's  centre  and  left,  than  Sir  Thomas  Graham,  pushing 
across  the  river,  took  possession  of  the  road  to  Baycnne.  This 
line  of  retreat  being  intercepted,  the  road  to  Pampeluna  was 
the  only  route  by  which  these  reserve  divisi6ns  could  retire,  and 
upon  this  they  instantly  fell  back  in  great  haste  and  disorder. 
The  entire  army  of  tlie  enemy  was  now  not  only  beaten,  but 
driven  back  upon  one  line  of  retreat ;  and  in  a  state  so  disor- 
ganized and  helpless,  that  they  never  rallied,  but  ran  off  in  large 
confused  masses,  abandoning  all  their  cannon,  ammunition,  and 
baggage  to  the  victors.  They  moved  so  swiftly,  that  compara- 
tively few  prisoners  were  made.  The  infantry  could  not  over- 
take them ;  and  from  the  nature  of  the  ground,  which  is  much 
intersected  by  ditches,  and  otherwise  inclosed,  the  cavalry  of 
the  allies  could  do  but  little.  The  French  suffered,  however, 
as  they  fled,  some  little  loss  from  the  bullets  and  shells  of  a 
battery  of  horse-artillery,  which  from  a  commanding  eminence 
were  poured  upon  them,  as,  crowding  towards  one  point,  the 
different  corps  were  thrown  upon  each  other;  and,  becoming 
one  dense  mob,  were  somewhat  delayed  under  this  fire  by  the 
pressure. 

The  pursuit  was  continued  till  dark ;  lord  Wellington  being 
in  person  with  his  advanced  guard.  The  troops  now,  being 
greatly  exliausted,  were  halted  for  the  night.  They  had  been 
sixteen  hours  under  arms.  They  had  fought  and  won  a  battle ; 
and,  independent  of  their  manoeuvres,  they  had  marched  three 
leagues  since  the   morning.     But  the   victory  rewarded   and 

astonislied  them.     They  had  beaten  the  Fi-ench  often  before 

but  thus  never.  One  hundred  and  fifty  pieces  of  artillery,  415 
caissons,  the  military  chest,  and  more  than  8000  carriages, 
wagons,  and  cars,  laden  with  stores,  treasure,  or  plunder,  lav 
spread  over  the  conquered  field.  Among  the  trophies  of  this 
complete  victory  were  a  stand  of  colors  and  the  baton  of 
marshal  Jourdan.     The  loss  of  the  allies  did  not  much  exceed 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  115 

700  killed  and  4000  wounded.  Of  the  cannon  taken,  more 
than  ninety  were  field-pieces,  foul-mouthed  with  recent  use. 
The  ground  for  nearly  a  square  league  was  covered  with  the 
wreck  of  chests  and  baggage.  Tiie  soldiers  who  got  among  the 
carriages  and  cars  ransackod  them  most  thoroughly  ;  and  as  there 
were  more  than  201)  coaches  belonging  to  tlie  court,  tlie  gene- 
rals, and  private  individuals  in  the  French  interest,  the  spoil  was 
rich  and  curious.  State  robes,  embroidered  uniforms,  court 
dresses,  insignia,  jewels,  the  wardroljes  of  females,  plate,  pic- 
tures, and  costly  curiosa  of  an  endless  variety,  the  accumulated 
plunder  of  inyaded  Spain,  were  here  rejoicingly  divided  by  the 
exulting  soldiers.  But  the  spoil  which  Wellington  deserved, 
and  which  his  admirable  combinations,  and  the  intrepid  and  suc- 
cessful attacks  he  directed,  entitled  him  to  expect,  was  a  good 
solid  column  of  prisoners.*  A  crowning  result  which  must 
inevitably  have  been  his  sure  reward,  had  the  enemy  made  one 
single  attempt  at  a  rally  or  stand  :  had  they  even  maintained  a 
military  formation.  But  no  army  was  ever  seen  to  fly  in  more 
irregular  and  headlong  confusion.  Their  loss  did  not  exceed 
7000  killed  and  wounded,  and  tlie  prisoners  amounted  to  1000 
more.  Of  all  their  material  and  equipment,  they  only  carried 
off  the  field  one  gun  and  one  howitzer.  There  is  no  record  in 
history  of  so  vast  an  army  of  so  well-disciplined  and  veteran 
soldiers  being  tlms  broken,  scattered,  and  hunted,  like  a  rabble, 
from  the  field. 

It  had  not  entered  into  the  calculations  of  the  British  general, 
for  it  could  not;  nor  can  it  ever  be  said  that  it  was  the  result  of 
any  order  of  the  French  generals;  that  a  distant  rallying  point 
was  deliberately  named,  and  the  sauve  qui  pent  authoritatively 
permitted  :  it  was  a  disaster  never  dreamed  of, — a  disgrace  con- 
sidered imiK>ssible  to  the  French  arms.  Nor  came  ever  upon 
men  a  more  sudden  reverse  of  fortune  and  security  than  that 
which  overtook  the  chief  officers  of  state,  the  courtiers,  and 
tho.se  unhappy  Spaniards  of  high  rank,  who,  with  tlieir  wives 
and  children,  alighted  from  their  carriages  in  terror,  and  fled  on 
foot  These  wretched  persons,  with  nothing  but  the  clothes 
upon  their  backs,  acconqmnied  tlie  broken  colmnns  on  foot,  and 
were  mixed  with  the  soldierj'. 

The  French  troops  reached  Pampeluna  in  such  disorder  tliat 
• 

*  Thf  nritUli  Rolilinm  nri>  iinrivnllril  Tor  fichlini;;  yot  in  the  hut  hantc  of 
succuv!),  they  aro  with  Rr>'iit  ilifliciilty  Itvpt  in  the  rnnka.  I'hcrvforc  it  may  b<) 
said  with  truth,  that  while  nn  KnRliith  ({''iktuI  iiiny  count  Htirely  upon  them 
to  win  a  hnttle.  it  i»  (limhtriil  whctlier  they  iKissestt  thoBO  less  \  .iln.ihli'  hut 
im|iortant  qualities  which  ennhle  a  Bkilful  coniniantler  to  Ink'  'ice 

of  a  victory.     No  man,  however,  more   truly  and  gratefiill  iliu 

uteri ini;  worth  of  hiti  solUiero  than  lord  W'ellinjtton.     lie  fell   i  mi- 

fldencR  in  liiH  veternuH;  and  has  been  heard  to  *ay,  that  he  woulil  rallur  liave 
one  uflicer  or  Holilicr  who  had  served  with  him  one  or  two  cnnipaigns,  than 
two  or  three  who  bad  not. 


116  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

it  was  necessary  to  close  the  gates,  and  forbid  their  entrance. 
The  fortress,  however,  was  promptly  garrisoned,  and  the  retreat 
continued. 

The  left  corps  of  the  army,  under  Sir  Thomas  Graham,  marched 
from  the  field  in  the  direction  of  Bilboa  to  intercept  the  French 
force  under  general  Foy  ;  but  that  officer  hastily  gained  Tolosa, 
barricadoed  the  streets,  and  attempted  to  make  a  stand.  Graham 
soon  dislodged  him,  and,  forcing  into  the  town,  drove  him  for- 
wards,— compelled  him  to  pass  the  frontier,  and  then  destroyed 
the  tete  de  pont  at  Irun.  While  two  divisions  under  Sir  Row- 
land Hill  were  pursuing  tlie  enemy  on  the  road  to  Pampeluna, 
lord  Wellington  directed  a  force  to  march  upon  Logrorio,  and 
attack  general  Clausel,  who,  approaching  Vittoria  the  day  after 
the  battle,  and  learning  its  result,  had  countermarched  on  that 
place.  At  the  same  time  he  pushed  three  divisions  to  Tudela,  to 
cut  off  his  retreat  to  France  by  that  road.  Alarmed  for  the  safety 
of  his  corps,  that  general  moved  rapidly  on  Zaragossa  and  from 
thence  marched  to  the  pass  of  Jaca,  by  which  route  he  entered 
France.  This  detour  preserved  his  army ;  but  he  lost  all  his 
guns,  and  left  behind  him,  in  a  redoubt  which  barred  the  road  of 
Zaragossa,  a  small  garrison,  which  in  a  few  weeks  surrendered 
to  Mina:  moreover  he  suffered  a  little  on  his  way,  from  the 
active  and  harassing  pursuit  of  that  zealous  chief. 

Upon  the  first  of  July  the  strong  castle  of  Pancorbo,  between 
Burgos  and  Miranda  de  Ebro,  surrendered  to  the  Spanish  army 
of  reserve  under  O'Donnel :  the  garrison  consisted  of  700  good 
soldiers.  Thus,  on  all  sides,  successes  followed  wherever  the 
victory  was  made  known.  At  Passages,  a  garrison  of  150  men 
from  the  corps  of  Foy  surrendered  to  the  Spaniards  under  Longa ; 
and  a  good  harbor  was  here  secured  upon  the  left  of  the  line  of 
operations,  by  which  the  allies  subsequently  received  all  their 
supplies.  The  French  also  evacuated  Castro  and  Gueteria, 
taking  off  their  garrisons  in  boats.  In  every  quarter  south  of  the 
Ebro,  their  fortified  posts  were  given  up  to  the  Spaniards.  Upon 
the  6th  of  July,  marshal  Sucliet  broke  up  from  Valencia.  Upon 
the  7th  of  July,  the  last  divisions  of  the  army  of  Joseph,  which 
had  been  driven  from  the  fertile  and  defensible  valley  of  San 
Estevan  by  a  succession  of  brilliant  manojuvres,  passed  the  Py- 
renees. Sir  Rowland  Hill  had  followed  them  from  Pampeluna 
through  the  difficult  defile  of  Lanz,  and  attacked  every  positior 
on  which  tliey  halted  ;  while  lord  Dalhousie  with  the  seventh 
division  had  moved  towards  San  Estevan,  and  menaced  their 
right.  By  these  able  and  vigorous  operations,  lord  Wellington 
became  master  of  the  passes  of  San  Estevan,  Donna  Maria, 
Maya,  and  Roncesvalles,  and  his  sentinels  looked  down  from  the 
rugged  frontier  of  Spain  upon  the  sunny  plains  of  southern 
France.     In  five-and-forty  days  from  the  opening  of  this  cam- 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELUNGTON.  117 

paign,  he  had  conducted  the  allied  army  from  the  frontiers  of 
Portugal  to  the  confines  of  France  ;  he  had  marched  400  miles 
without  check ;  defeated  the  combined  forces  of  his  enemy  in  a 
general  action,  taking  all  their  artillery ;  had  driven  them  through 
a  country  alx)unding  in  strong  positions;  and  compelled  the 
intrusive  king  to  abandon  tlie  very  soil  of  Sjmin,  in  haste  and 
consternation.  This  was  glory :  for  this  harvest,  possessing  liis 
genius  in  all  patience,  and  preparing  all  the  elements  of  success 
with  labor  and  prudence,  lie  had  anxiously  and  hopefully  sown  ; 
and  the  joy  came.  He  stood  upon  the  frontier  of  anotlier  liber- 
ated land,  a  victor. 


CHAP.  XI. 

MARSHAL  SOULT  IS  BENT  SUDDENLY  FROM  GERMANY  TO  TAKE  COHUAND  OF 

THE  FRENCH    ARMY  ON  THE    FRONTIER,  AND  TO  ATTACK  THE  ALLIES. 

LORD  WELLINGTON  BIX)CKADES  PAMPELUNA  CLOSELY,  AND  LAYS  SIEGE 
TO  ST.  SEBASTIAN. THE  ADVANCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  ARMY. THE  BAT- 
TLES OF  THE  PYRENEES. — THE  FRENCH  ARE  AGAIN  DRIVEN  INTO 
FRANCE. 

The  blow  struck  at  Vittoria  made  itself  felt  in  the  camps  of 
Germany.  Tliere,  Napoleon,  by  an  exertion  which  had  aston- 
ished all  Europe,  had  again  appeared  in  arms ;  and  in  May  of 
this  year  liad  obtained  new  successes  hi  the  fields  of  Lutzen  and 
Bautzen.  Profiting  by  this  favorable  posture  of  affairs,  he  had 
concluded  an  armistice  with  the  hostile  forces  opposed  to  him, 
and  a  negotiation  for  peace  was  actually  carrying  on  under  the 
mediation  of  Austria,  when  intelligence  of  the  defeat  of  the 
army  of  Spain  was  received. 

The  surprise  and  disapix>intment  of  Napoleon  were  expressed 
with  bitter  anger.  The  thought  that  "tlie  hideous  leopard" 
should  be  couching  upon  the  mountains  which  look  down  upon 
the  "sacred  soil  of  France,"  was  mortifying  and  intolerable. 
Moreover,  the  effect  this  would  produce  both  in  France  and  in 
Germany  was  at  a  glance  discerned.  Therefore  lie  immediately 
disixitchetl  Soult,  witli  tlie  high  title  and  large  powers  of  "lieu- 
tenant of  the  emperor,"  to  take  command  of  tlie  defeated  troops; 
and  gave  orders  that  they  should  be  reinforced  and  equipped 
with  all  possible  expedition,  and  led  speedily  against  the  enemy. 

To  push  back  tlie  allies  fVom  the  frontier,  and,  if  jxjssible,  to 
re-establish  his  armies  on  the  line  of  the  Ebro,  was  an  attempt 
now  impenitive  upon  him.  The  political  state  of  {»rtics  in 
FVance,  esjiecially  in  the  south,  wliere  all  were  tired  of  a  mili- 
tary king,  and  longing  lor  peace,  made  it  dangerous  to  his 
throne  that  the  peasants  of  those  provinces  should  see  tlie  British 


118  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

standard  floating  upon  the  confines  of  France,  and  the  crimson 
uniforms  of  English  soldiers  as  they  watched  upon  the  rocks 
above  them.  Lord  Wellington  knew  that  great  efibrts  would 
be  made  against  him  soon;  therefore  he  directed  his  earnest 
attention  to  the  fortresses  of  St.  Sebastian  and  Pampeluna,  in 
whicli  places  the  French  had  left  strong  garrisons.  As  early 
as  the  25th  of  June,  Sir  Rowland  Hill  had  closely  shut  up  Pam- 
peluna :  it  was  at  that  time  the  intention  of  lord  Wellington  to 
besiege  it;  but  when,  returning  from  his  movements  against 
Clausel,  he  examined  the  defences  in  person,  this  design  was 
abandoned.  The  works  were  found  to  be  in  excellent  order, 
and  were  surmounted  by  200  pieces  of  ordnance.  The  town 
was  well  covered  by  the  citadel  on  one  side,  protected  by  the 
river  upon  the  other,  and  garrisoned  by  4000  effective  men. 
To  reduce  it  by  a  siege  would  have  required  large  means,  and 
have  cost  many  lives ;  therefore  it  was  decided  to  establish  a 
close  blockade.  The  duties  of  this  service  were  at  first  con- 
fided to  lord  Dalhousie,  with  the  sixth  and  seventh  divisions. 
It  was  at  the  same  time  ordered  that  strong  field-works  should 
be  thrown  up  on  every  side  of  the  place,  so  that  the  investing 
force  might  easily  command  all  the  roads  and  communications. 
Tiierefore  nine  large  redoubts  were  raised  upon  favorable 
heights,  at  distances  of  from  1200  to  1500  yards  from  the  for- 
tress, armed  with  the  French  guns  captured  at  Vittoria,  and 
garrisoned  by  detachments  of  the  investing  force.  When  the 
connected  defences  of  the  blockading  line  were  completed,  the 
duties  of  the  blockade  were  transferred  to  the  Spanish  army  of 
reserve  under  O'Donnel,  and  lord  Dalhousie  with  his  corps 
joined  the  army  in  the  Pyrenees. 

It  was,  liowever,  fully  determined  to  besiege  the  fortress  of 
St.  Sebastian ;  and  Sir  Thomas  Graham  with  10,000  men  was 
appointed  to  conduct  the  operations. 

This  town  is  built  on  a  low  peninsula,  running  north  and 
south;  at  the  extremity  is  a  rocky  height  called  Monte  Orgullo: 
the  base  of  this  rock  is  400  yards  by  600 ;  it  rises  steeply  to  a 
point,  wliich  is  crowned  by  a  small  citadel  called  La  Mota. 
Monte  Orgullo  is  cut  off  from  the  town  by  a  defensive  line  near 
its  foot ;  and  its  southern  face  is  covered  with  batteries  which 
plunge  into  the  lower  defences  of  the  place. 

The  defences  of  the  town  are,  upon  the  western  side,  washed 
by  the  sea,  and  upon  the  eastern  side  by  the  river  Urumea. 
This  river  at  high  water  covers  four  feet  of  the  masonry  of  the 
scarp,  but  for  two  hours  before  and  after  is  fordable  and  shallow. 
The  works  of  the  land  front  of  St.  Sebastian  consist  of  a  single 
front  of  fortification  running  across  the  sandy  isthmus  on  which 
it  stands. 

On  the  right  of  the  Urumea  are  considerable  sand-hills,  called 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  119 

tho  Chofre  range.  From  these  the  eastern  wall  of  the  city  is 
seen  to  its  base  at  low  water ;  and  at  those  hours  troops  can 
marcli  along  its  foot  to  the  extremity  near  the  castle.  About 
700  yards  from  the  land  front  upon  tlie  isthmus  is  the  convent 
of  SL  Bartolomeo ;  tliis,  and  a  small  redoubt  near  it,  and  a  cir- 
cular field-work  on  the  causeway,  were  occupied  by  tlie  garri- 
son as  advanced  posts. 

It  was  determined  to  batter  the  eastern  wall  in  breach  from 
tlie  sand-hills,  and  to  storm  the  breaches  as  soon  as  practicable, 
by  a  bold  advance  along  the  left  of  the  Urumea  at  low  water; 
but,  in  the  first  instance,  to  dislodge  the  enemy  from  the  fortified 
convent  of  St.  Bartolomeo  and  the  advanced  works. 

On  the  lltli  of  July  the  place  was  invested ;  on  the  12th,  the 
marquis  of  Wellington,  examined  the  defences,  and  the  plan 
given  was  decided  on.  The  besieging  force  consisted  of  the 
fifth  division  under  general  Oswald,  and  the  Portuguese  bri- 
gades of  generals  Bradford  and  Wilson.  The  guns,  ammu- 
nition, and  stores  were  landed  at  Passages;  and,  upon  the 
morning  of  the  14tii  of  July,  batteries  were  opened  agamst  the 
convent  of  Bartolomeo.  The  south  end  of  the  church  was 
beaten  down  the  next  day ;  the  roof  of  the  convent  had  been 
frequently  set  on  fire,  and  a  great  part  of  the  building  was  laid 
open.  A  battery  of  9-pounders  and  howitzers  was  now  placed 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Urumea,  to  fire  upon  the  redoubt 
adjoining;  and,  ui)on  the  17th  of  July,  the  convent  and  that 
work  w(3re  assaulted  and  carried.  The  assailants,  pusliing  on 
too  far  in  pursuit,  suffered  from  the  fire  of  the  place,  and  were 
driven  back  by  a  body  of  the  garrison  marching  to  support  the 
defence  of  the  convent.  The  besiegers,  however,  being  estab- 
lished in  that  post,  the  batteries  marked  out  in  the  sand-hills 
were  completed,  and  armed  with  twenty  heavy  guns  and  twelve 
mortars  and  howitzers.  On  the  20th  they  opened ;  and  on  the 
25th  of  July,  two  breaches  being  practicable,  one  thirty,  the 
othoil  ten  yards  wide,  they  were  assaulted  at  the  hour  of  low 
water.  A  mine  had  been  formed  under  the  glacis  of  the  front 
line  of  works ;  this  was  to  be  fired  as  the  signal  for  the  assault.  A 
little  before  dawn  on  the  2.3th,  the  columns  being  assembled  for 
tlie  storm,  the  mine  was  suddenly  explwled  ;  and  the  garrison 
was  BO  startled  and  confused,  tliat  the  advances  ran  to  the 
breach  without  loss,  and  crowne<l  the  summit;  but  here  tliey 
were  immediately  exposc<l  to  so  terrible  and  destructive  a  fire 
of  grape  and  musketry  from  within,  and  from  the  towers  which 
flanked  tiic  breacli,  that  the  soldiers  dropped  very  fast:  the 
ascent  of  tiie  breach,  and  the  rocky  sands  below,  were  covered 
with  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  troojw  returned  in  confusion 
to  tlie  trenches  having  lost  500  killed  and  wounded,  and  100 
taken. 


120  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

Lord  Wellington,  who  had  upon  the  14th  left  Sir  Thomas 
Graham  to  conduct  the  siege,  no  sooner  received  the  report  of 
the  failure  of  this  assault,  than  he  came  over  from  head-quarters 
at  Lezaca;  and  finding  his  means  of  attack,  especially  in  ammu- 
nition, much  exhausted,  resolved  to  suspend  the  siege  for  a  time, 
and  made  arrangements  accordingly. 

In  the  night  of  this  very  day,  after  he  returned  from  St.  Se- 
bastian, the  report  was  brought  to  him  that  the  enemy  had  over- 
powered his  troops  at  two  of  the  passes  on  the  right  of  the 
army  ;  had  penetrated  into  the  valleys  of  the  Pyrenees  in  over- 
whelming force;  and  were  pressing  onwards  to  Pampeluna. 
"  We  must  do  the  best  we  can  to  stop  them,"  was  his  short  and 
calm  reply  to  the  officer  wlio  brought  him  this  bad  and  perplex- 
ing intelligence;  and  he  immediately  expressed  his  content- 
ment with  some  arrangement  of  which  Sir  George  Murray  had 
taken  the  responsibility,  by  moving  a  brigade  from  Echalar  to 
support  the  second  division  near  Maya.  But  the  difficult  move- 
ments, and  severe  combats  in  tlie  Pyrenees,  which  began  on 
this  day,  and  did  not  terminate  till  the  1st  of  August,  must  be 
related  in  order. 

The  line  of  the  lower  Pyrenees  is  most  hazardous  for  a  de- 
fending army,  because,  in  many  parts,  there  is  no  lateral  com- 
munication whatever,  and  in  others  it  is  long  and  circuitous. 
Two  points  must  be  covered  sixty  miles  asunder,  and  the  inter- 
mediate passes  must  be  defended.  Nor  does  the  nature  of  the 
country  allow  of  the  concentration  of  a  strong  force  in  any  posi- 
tion in  rear  of  the  passes,  from  whence  they  may  be  supported 
m  time,  and  in  sufficient  strength  to  insure  their  successful  re- 
sistance at  any  one  whicli  may  be  attacked  with  very  superior 
numbers.  Hence,  by  the  loss  of  any  one  pass,  the  defence  of 
the  rest  is  rendered  impossible,  as  the  safety  of  the  corps  station- 
ed in  them  is  immediately  compromised. 

With  a  line,  tlierefbre,  of  sixty  miles  to  cover,  and  having  to 
provide  for  the  siege  of  San  Sebastian,  and  the  blockade  of 
Pampeluna,  the  allied  army  was  thus  posted. 

A  brigade  of  British  infantry  under  general  Byng,  and  a 
division  of  Spanish  foot  under  Murillo,  were  on  the  extreme 
right,  and  held  the  pass  of  Roncesvalles.  Sir  Lowry  Cole's 
division  was  stationed  at  Biscaret  to  support  these  troops ;  and 
the  division  of  Sir  Thomas  Picton  was  in  reserve  at  Olaque. 

Sir  Rowland  Hill  occupied  the  valley  of  Bastan,  having  the 
brigade  of  general  Walker  and  the  piquets  and  light  companies 
of  general  Pringle's  brigade  in  the  Puerto  de  Maya,  and  the 
regiments  of  the  last  brigade  a  short  league  in  the  immediate 
rear  as  a  support.  The  remainder  of  the  second  division  was  in 
the  valley  in  reserve ;  but  the  Portuguese  division  of  the  conde 
de  Amarante,  being  a  part  of  Hill's  corps,  was  posted  in  the 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  121 

passes  eastward  of  Maya,  about  five  leagues  on  the  left  of  Ron- 
cesvalles.  The  Portuguese  brigade  of  general  Campbell  was 
detached  to  Los  Alduides,  a  post  within  tlie  French  territory. 
The  liglit  and  seventh  divisions  occupied  tlie  heights  of  Santa 
Barbara,  and  the  town  of  Vera,  and  the  Puerto  de  Echalar ;  and 
from  this  last  point  kept  the  communication  with  the  valley  of 
Bastan.     Tlie  sixth  division  was  in  reserve  at  San  Estevan. 

The  Spaniriii  troops  of  Longa  communicated  from  Vera,  on 
their  rigiit,  with  the  Spanish  division  of  general  Giron  upon  tlie 
great  road  on  tlieir  Iclt,  and  witli  the  corps  under  Sir  Thomas 
Graham. 

Such  were  the  general  dispositions  of  the  allied  force.  No- 
tliing  can  be  imagined  more  bold  and  grand  than  the  mountain 
region  thus  occupied  by  the  troops.  The  vale  of  San  Estevan 
has,  indeed,  an  aspect  of  fertility  and  beauty  ;  but  it  narrows  as 
it  rises  towards  the  north,  and  is  soon  lost  in  the  gloom  and 
loneliness  of  the  frontier.  Mountains  are  crowded  together  in 
all  variety  of  form  :  here  crested  with  gray  and  jagged  rock ; 
there  rounded  and  green  upon  tlieir  summits,  to  which  by  long 
and  toilsome  paths  a  way  is  won.  On  all  sides  are  found  ravines 
and  torrents,  wild,  rugged,  and  filled  with  fragments  of  rock. 
The  roads  are  narrow  and  stony ;  the  fastnesses  into  which  they 
wind  are  black  and  shadowy ;  and  ho  that  passes  them  in  soli- 
tude hears  but  the  dtush  of  waters  and  the  scream  of  eagles. 
Such  are  tiie  general  features  of  the  noble  barrier  placed  by 
Providence  between  France  and  Spain;  but  a  barrier  which, 
notwithstanding  these  strong  features,  is  not  easy  of  defence 
against  numerous,  brave,  and  intelligent  assailants,  guided  by 
the  skill  of  an  experienced  and  resolute  general. 

Such  marshal  Soult  undoubtedly  was.  lie  had  been  expressly 
selected  by  his  imperial  master,  for  his  high  military  talents,  his 
stern  disipline,  and  acknowledged  boldness.  He  no  sooner  as- 
sumed the  command  of  the  armies  on  the  frontier,  tiian  he  issued 
a  reproachful  and  rousing  address  to  the  troops,  which  he  thus 
closed: — "The  present  situation  of  the  army,"  he  said,  "is  im- 
putable to  others;  let  the  merit  of  repairing  it  be  yours.  I  have 
borne  testimony  to  the  emperor  of  your  bravery  and  zeal :  his 
instructions  are  to  drive  the  enemy  from  these  heights,  which 
enable  them  proudly  to  survey  our  fertile  valleys,  and  to  chase 
them  beyond  the  Ebro.  It  is  on  the  SiKUii.sh  soil  that  your  teiiLs 
must  next  be  pitclied,  and  your  resources  drawn.  Let  the 
account  of  our  successes  Ikj  dated  from  Vitturia,  and  tlie  birtiiday 
of  his  imiicrial  majesty  be  celebrated  in  that  city."  In  this  spirit 
Soult  proclaimed  his  intentions  on  the  evening  of  July  "J-lth. 
He  had  taken  command  of  the  army  on  tlie  13th  of  July,  and 
organized  it  afresh  in  nine  divisions  of  infantry,  two  divisions  of 
dragoons,  and  one  of  light  cavalry.    He  was  strongly  reinforced, 

Vou  II.  L 


122  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

supplied  with  a  considerable  number  of  guns,  and  in  ten  days  he 
was  ready  for  a  struggle.  His  first  enterprise  was  an  attempt 
to  relieve  Pampeluna.  His  plan  was  to  attack  on  the  same  day 
the  passes  of  Roncesvalles  and  Maya,  the  roads  from  which 
converge  on  Pampeluna.  Upon  the  evening  of  the  24th  of  July 
he  assembled  a  convoy  of  provisions  and  stores  at  St.  Jean  Pied 
de  Port,  and  suddenly  collected  between  30,000  and  40,000  men 
at  that  pouit.  These  consisted  of  the  right  and  left  wings  of 
his  army,  under  count  Reille  and  general  Clausel,  with  one  di- 
vision of  his  centre,  and  two  of  cavalry.  At  the  same  time,  two 
divisions  of  his  centre,  amounting  to  13,000  men,  were  assembled 
not  far  from  Espelette,  under  count  d'Erlon. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th,  count  d'Erlon  made  some  demon- 
strations against  the  small  passes  of  Espegue,  and  Lareta,  which 
are  to  the  right  of  Maya,  and  were  guarded  by  the  Portuguese. 
Under  cover  of  these  manoeuvres,  he  brought  his  main  body  by  a 
pathway,  which,  leading  from  Espelette,  enters  the  pass  of 
Maya  from  tlie  south-east.  The  entrance  from  the  south-west 
ascends  directly  from  the  village  of  Urdax,  where  the  enemy  had 
a  considerable  post  encamped,  and  crosses  the  lofty  range  where, 
upon  open  ground,  the  brigade  of  general  Walker  was  in  po- 
sition, commanded  by  colonel  Cameron,  of  the  92d.  Near  a 
remarkable  rock,  at  the  south-east  entrance  of  the  pass,  was  a 
piquet  from  general  Pringle's  brigade  ;  one  mile  in  rear  of  the 
piquet  post  lay  tlie  light  companies  of  that  brigade,  the  34th 
regiment  being  two  miles  and  a  lialf  below,  and  the  other  regi- 
ments yet  more  removed.  The  pathway  from  Espelette  is 
screened  by  mountains,  and  especially  by  one,  upon  the  right  of 
the  rock,  and  a  little  in  advance  of  it,  of  large" base  and  of  a 
rounded  summit. 

General  William  Stewart  had  gone  early  in  the  morning  to 
the  passes  on  the  right ;  feeling  jealous  for  them,  and  apprehen- 
sive that  the  enemy  would  attack  the  Portuguese.  His  deputy 
assistant  quarter-master-general  was  left  at  Maya,  and  visited 
the  heiglits  on  rcconnoissance  early  in  the  morning;  and  at  a 
later  hour,  in  consequence  of  the  deserted  appearance  of  the 
enemy's  encampment  at  Urdax,  he  patroled  a  little  way  round 
the  mountain  on  the  Espelette*  pathway.  From  that  point  he 
discerned  a  small  column  halted  in  one  of  the  mountain  vales, 
about  three  miles  distant,  and  liis  suspicions  were  awakened. 
As  he  returned  past  the  piquet  post,  he  did  not  give  his  real 
opinion  ;f  but  as  he  passed  down  towards  Maya,  he  ventured  to 

*  The  captain  of  llio  old  piquet  near  the  rock  had  seen  a  proiip  of  horses 
and  a  column  of  troops  pass  along  the  face  of  a  distant  hill  at  dawn,  and 
disappear. 

t  This  official  reserve  led  to  a  very  erroneous  inference  on  the  part  of  the 
captain  commanding  the  piquet,  and  this  circumstance  has  been  related  by 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  123 

order  up  the  light  companies,  and  he  reported  to  general  Pringle 
that  he  thought  the  enemy  meditated  a  serious  attack  on  the 
pass.  Nevertheless  the  general,  in  the  absence  of  Stewart,  was 
apprehensive  of  ordering  his  regiments  to  the  heights  till  the 
very  last  moment,  as  it  was  yet  doubtful  wiiat  the  enemy's  posi- 
tive design  was,  and  general  William  Stewart  had  certainly 
looked  for  the  real  attack  upon  his  right :  thus  some  time  was 
lost.  Before  noon,  the  enemy  filed  their  columns  round  the 
mountain  in  front  of  the  piquet  post  at  the  rock,  while  they 
poured  a  swarm  of  voltigeurs  over  the  brow  and  the  ridges. 

The  piquet  and  light  companies  were  instantly  and  very  hotly 
engaged,  and  disputed  the  advance  of  the  enemy  with  great 
steadiness, — inflicting  and  sustaiuing.-a  heavy  loss:  but  they 
were  at  last  forced  back,  by  overpowering  numbers,  to  tlie  sum- 
mit of  the  position,  where  they  were  hastily  joined  by  the  34th 
regiment,  under  lieutenant-colonel  Fenwick,  who  soon  fell, 
severely  wounded,  liis  captain  of  grenadiers  being  already  killed  ; 
subsequently  the  50th  came  up  to  the  support  of  the  34th. 
These  gallant  battalions  were  soon  compelled  to  give  way  be- 
fore the  formidable  numbers  which  pressed  ujwn  them  ;  but,  the 
brave  and  steady  92d  coming  to  their  support,  the  contest  was 
continued,  and  with  a  stubborn  courage:  one  wing  of  the  92d 
was  nearly  destroyed,  in  a  most  unequal  struggle  with  a  strong 
column  of  the  enemy.  As  it  was  necet^^ary  to  watch  the  road 
from  Urdax,  some  battalions  on  tJiis  range  of  heights  l)ecame 
separated  from  others.  Meanwhile  the  enemy's  numbers  in- 
creased rapidly.  Tiiey  covered  the  mountain  with  an  over- 
whelming force,  and  acted  well  together.  Thus  the  defenders 
were  at  last  obliged  to  fiill  back  to  a  strong  position  on  the 
mountain  range  communicating  with  Eclialar ;  from  which  pass 
they  were  reinforced,  about  si.x  o'clock  in  the  evening,  by  a 
brigade  of  tiie  7th  division,  under  general  Barnes.  The  struggle 
was  now  renewed,  and  maintained  witii  good  success.  In  these 
operations  general  Stewart  was  slightly  wounded,  and  that  part 
of  tiie  post  which  was  the  key  of  the  position  was  recovered  by 
Sir  Rowland  Hill  before  nightfall.  In  this  affair,  the  82d  regi- 
ment, which  moved  up  witli  general  Barnes's  brigade,  was 
greatly  distinguished  ;  and  the  whole  of  the  troops  engaged 
througiiout  the  day  fought  their  ground  well.  The  allies  lost  in 
these  combats  lOOl)  men  killed  and  wounded,  140  taken  prison- 
ers, and  four  pieces  of  cannon.  The  enemy  suffered  severely ; 
nor  did  they  attempt  to  advance  the  next  day. 

The  attack  of  tJie  pass  at  Koncesvalles  was  directed  by  mar- 

him  in  aiinlliur  publication,  tiiulir  (lie  iintiirni  iiiipri-vsioii  caiiiied  by  what 
paKRPd  at  the  liiiiit,  ami  mi  th<!  h|m>I,  iiihI  ofall  which  he.  still  has  a  niniit  vivid 
recollixtiuM  ;  but,  froiii  infiiriiiatiuii  lately  atioriled  him,  be  cannot  luo  fully 
.  xprL'i>8  hid  regret  that  it  should  have  been  so  related. 


124  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

shal  Soult  in  person,  with  35,000  men.  His  march  was  known, 
and  his  approach  seen.  General  Byng,  aware  that  a  road  through 
Arbaicete,  a  few  miles  to  his  right,  turned  the  pass,  descended 
from  its  summit,  and  so  posted  his  brigade  as  to  cover  that  road ; 
at  the  same  time  he  detached  the  Spanish  division  of  Murillo 
towards  Arbaicete.  Marshal  Soult,  making  a  demonstration  on 
the  front  of  general  Byng,  pushed  a  strong  column  along  the 
ridge  of  Arola  to  the  left  of  Ronccsvalles.  A  part  of  general 
Cole's  division  was  on  this  ridge,  and  being  greatly  overpowered 
by  numbers,  was  forced  back,  with  considerable  loss,  for  a  time  : 
but  the  fusileer  brigade  coming  to  their  support,  a  strong  posi- 
tion was  taken ;  and  the  enemy,  whom  from  the  first  onset 
general  Cole  had  opposed  with  the  greatest  spirit,  was  effectu- 
ally checked.  \ 

Soult  now  attacked  the  brigade  of  Byng  in  great  strength, 
and  with  much  impetuosity ;  but  he  was  most  ably  and  obsti- 
nately resisted  for  a  long  time  :  at  last,  by  the  succession  of 
fresh  troops  and  the  weight  of  numbers,  he  forced  Byng  up  the 
mountain,  uncovered  the  road  to  Arbaicete,  and  drove  back  the 
Spaniards  of  Murillo  upon  the  division  of  general  Cole. 

Under  these  circumstances  general  Cole  retired,  as  scon  as  it 
was  dark,  to  Lizoain,  izi  front  of  Zubiri. 

The  conduct  of  the  brave  troops  at  Ronccsvalles  was  admira- 
ble. The  20th  regiment  behaved  with  great  steadiness  and 
courage  ;  and  the  enemy's  strong  host  was  arrested  for  several 
hours  with  a  countenance  the  most  firm. 

The  day  following.  Sir  Thomas  Picton,  with  the  third  division, 
joined  the  fourth,  and  assumed  the  command  of  both.  As  Soult 
advanced.  Sir  Thomas  retired  before  him  leisurely,  in  tlie  finest 
order,  and  halted  on  strong  ground,  from  which  he  again  fell 
back  in  the  night.  On  the  27tli  he  again  retired,  and  tcok  up  a 
position  in  battle  order  to  cover  the  blockade  of  Pampeluna. 
As  soon  as  Sir  Rowland  Hill  Mas  apprized  of  the  retrograde 
movement  of  Sir  Lowry  Cole,  ho  withdrew  to  Irurita,  as  his 
advanced  position  could  no  longer  be  maintained. 

Lord  Wellington  hastened  to  the  contemplated  scene  of 
action,  the  very  moment  he  received  information  of  w^hat  was 
passing;  and  as  lie  rode  past  the  several  corps  on  his  way, 
which  were  all  immediately  put  in  motion,  he  gave  clear  orders 
for  their  guidance. 

He  had  to  think  and  dictate  as  he  rode  swiftly  en.  Upon  the 
27th,  just  before  he  reached  the  field,  he  alighted  at  a  little 
village,  which  afterwards  formed  the  enemy's  right,  to  pencil  a 
note  of  orders,  and  send  it  to  a  corps  in  the  rear.  Already  the 
French  were  descending  the  mountain  to  take  possession  of  it  : 
he  had  barely  time  to  write  the  memorandum.  The  enemy 
rushed  into  the  village  in  the  centre  while  he  was  riding  out  at 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  125 

one  end,  and  his  aid-de-camp  at  the  other.  As  soon  as  Welling- 
ton came  upon  the  ground  tjiken  up  by  Sir  Thomas  Picton,  m 
anticipation  of  tlie  very  order  which  reached  him  while  making 
the  disposition,  the  troops  hailed  him  witli  loud  cheers,  the 
honest  expression  of  their  strong  confidence  in  him,  and  the 
sure  presage  of  their  own  triumph.  The  tliird  division  was 
drawn  up  on  tiie  rij^ht,  in  front  of  Huarte,  and  extended  to  the 
hills  beyond  Olaz.  The  left  was  occupied  by  the  fourUi  division, 
the  brigade  of  general  Bying,  and  the  Portuguese  brigade  of 
general  Campbell.  Tliese  troops  were  posted  on  the  heights  in 
front  of  Villalba,  having  their  left  at  a  ciiapel  behind  Sorauren,  on 
the  road  from  Ortiz  to  Pampcluna,  and  their  right  resting  upon 
a  height  which  commanded  the  road  from  Zubiri  and  Ronces- 
valies.  Tlie  Spanish  troops  of  Murillo  and  O'Donnel  were  in 
reserve,  with  the  exception  of  two  regiments,  which  occupied 
part  of  the  liill  on  the  right  of  the  fourth  division  above  the  road 
from  Zubiri. 

Tlie  British  cavalry,  under  Sir  Stapylton  Cotton,  were  placed 
near  Pluarte  on  the  right,  tliat  being  the  only  ground  where 
they  could  act  at  all. 

Marshal  Soult  fbrmetl  his  army  on  the  ridge  of  a  mountain 
opposite  to  the  allies.  He  placed  one  division  of  his  left  be- 
yond tlie  Zubiri  road ;  and  occupied  the  village  of  Sorauren  as 
a  detached  post  on  his  right  The  river  Lanz  flows  past  tliis 
village  below  the  road  leading  to  Ortiz. 

On  the  evening  of  the  27th,  the  enemy  attacked  the  hill,  on 
the  right  of  the  fourtii  division,  occupied  by  one  Portuguese  and 
one  Spanisli  battalion.  The  French  were  bravely  and  steadily 
repulsed.  This  jwst  was  afterwards  inmiediately  reinforce<l 
with  tlie  4()th  regiment  British,  and  the  SjKinisli  regiment  E! 
Princii)e.  The  enemy  covered  their  front  witli  skirmishers; 
and  there  was  a  fire  of  musketry  near  Sorauren,  and  along  tho 
whole  line,  till  dark. 

Beyond  the  river  Lanz  there  is  another  range  of  mountains 
connected  with  Lizasso  and  Marcalain.  Early  in  the  morning 
of  the  28th,  tiie  sixtii  division  arrived  under  general  Pack. 
Lord  Wellington  immediately  formed  them  across  the  valley  of 
the  Lanz,  in  rear  of  tlio  left  of  tho  fourtli  divihion.  Thus  they 
restetl  their  right  on  Oricain,  an.l  their  left  upon  the  mountain 
beyond  tiie  river,  and  made  face  against  the  village  of  S^'oraurcn. 
The  troops  of  general  Pack  hatl  scarcely  taken  up  tiieir  ground, 
when  tiie  enemy  assembled  in  Sorauren  advanced  rapidly  to 
attack  tliem  ;  but  tlic  French  were  soon  exposed  to  a  fire  upon 
their  front,  and  on  both  flanks,  and  tiiey  hastily  fell  back  v,-itli 
mimease  loss. 

At  this  moment  a  fresh  body  of  the  enemy  attacked  the  left 
of  the  fourth  division,  near  tlie  chapel,  and  forced  back  the  7th 
12 


126  Military  memoirs  of 

Portuguese  ca^adores ;  but  the  brigade  of  general  Ross  imme- 
diately advanced,  and  drove  them  down  again  with  a  great  loss. 

The  French  now  again  made  an  attempt  upon  the  hill  on  the 
ricfht  of  the  fourth  division,  where  the  40th  regiment  and  the 
two  regiments  of  Spaniards  were  jwsted.  They  won  a  footing 
upon  the  summit  in  spite  of  the  Spanish  regiments,  who,  never- 
theless, behaved  with  great  spirit;  but  the  40th  charged  the 
enemy  instantly,  and  they  were  again  driven  down. 

Marshal  Soult  now  made  a  general  and  furious  assault  on  the 
whole  front  of  those  heights  held  by  the  fourth  division.  At  one 
point  they  succeeded  in  overpowering  a  Portuguese  battalion  of 
general  Campbell's,  on  the  right  of  general  Ross's  brigade.  By 
this  success  they  established  themselves  on  tlie  allied  position. 
General  Ross  was  tlierefore  forced  to  withdraw  from  his  post  in 
the  line.  Lord  Wellington  instantly  directed  the  27tii  and  48th 
regiments  to  charge  the  enemy's  columns  with  the  bayonet; 
and  general  Ross,  having  formed  with  the  same  object,  fell  upon 
them  at  once. 

Never  were  the  valor  and  superiority  of  British  infantry  more 
brilliantly  displayed  than  in  those  resolute  charges.  The  enemy 
broke  and  fled.  The  carnage  was  terrible.  Pack's  division 
now  moved  up  the  valley  nearer  to  Cole's  left.  The  battle 
upon  this  front  was  at  an  end,  and  only  a  faint  firing  was  con- 
tinued on  distant  points  of  the  line. 

In  the  course  of  this  severe  and  bloody  conflict,  the  brant  of 
the  battle  was  borne  by  the  fourth  division.  Every  regiment 
charged  with  the  bayonet ;  the  40t,h,  7th,  20th,  and  23d,  four 
different  times.  Their  officers  set  them  the  e.xample;  and 
general  Ross  had  two  horses  shot  under  him.  The  Portuguese 
behaved  admirably,  and  the  Spanish  regiments  remarkably  well. 

In  pursuance  of  lord  Wellington's  directions.  Sir  Rowland 
Hill  had  marched  by  Lanz  upon  Lizasso;  and  lord  Dalhousie 
had  marched  from  San  Estevan  upon  the  same  place.  Tiiey 
both  reached  their  points  on  the  23th ;  and  the  seventh  division 
came  to  Macalain.  Tlius  the  lateral  road  on  Pampeluna  from 
Irantsum  and  Berisplano  was  covered.  Count  d'Erlon  followed 
Sir  Rowland  Hill,  and  reached  Ortiz  on  the  29th. 

The  battle  of  the  day  before  liaving  satisfied  Soult  that  no 
impression  was  to  be  made  on  tlie  allied  position  in  front,  he 
determined  to  attempt  the  relief  of  Pampeluna  now,  by  attack- 
ing Sir  Rowland  Hill,  and  thus  turning  the  letl  of  tlie  allies. 

The  mountain  on  which  the  principal  force  of  the  enemy  was 
formed  was  so  strong  and  difficult  of  access,  that  Soult  did  not 
regard  it  as  liable  to  attack ;  therefore  he  detached  one  division 
to  reinforce  the  corps  of  count  d'Erlon,  and,  on  the  night  of  the 
29th  and  30th,  he  passed  a  strong  party  across  the  Lanz,  upon 
his  right,  and  occupied  in  strengtli  the  crest  of  tlic  mountain 


THU  t)UKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  127 

Opposite  to  the  sixth  and  seventh  divisions :  at  the  same  time  he 
drew  in  upon  his  loft  tiie  troops  which  had  hitherto  remained 
on  the  heights  opposite  the  third  division.  Thus  the  left  wing 
was  closed  upon  the  main  position  on  the  mountain  immediately 
in  front  of  the  fourth  division ;  while  the  corps  of  count  d'Erlon, 
now  strongly  reinforced,  was  also  connected,  by  the  mountain 
line  on  the  right  of  the  Lanz,  with  the  strong  position  occupied 
by  the  French  left. 

Lord  Wellington  no  sooner  saw  these  dispositions  than  he 
immediately  penetrated  the  intentions  of  his  antagonist,  and 
resolved  to  dislodge  the  enemy  from  that  main  position,  which, 
from  its  extreme  importance,  they  still  occupied  in  considerable 
force. 

To  this  end  he  directed  Sir  Thomas  Picton,  with  the  third 
division,  to  cross  the  heights  on  which  the  enemy's  left  had 
stood,  and  to  turn  tlie  left  of  the  jKisition  by  tKe  road  of  Ronces- 
valles ;  and  lord  Dalhousie,  with  the  seventh  division,  to  estab- 
lish himself  on  the  mountain  in  his  front,  and  turn  the  right. 
The  movement  of  Sir  Thomas  Picton  was  made  with  admirable 
ability ;  and  the  attack  of  the  seventh  division,  led  by  lord  Dal- 
housie, with  the  brigade  of  general  Inglis,  was  eminently  gal- 
lant and  successful.  As  scon  as  lord  Dalhousie  had  driven  the 
enemy  from  the  mountain  in  his  front,  the  sixth  division  under 
general  Packenham,  who  after  general  Pack  was  wounded  as- 
sumed the  command  of  it,  turned  the  village  of  Sorauren.  The 
same  division  and  general  Byng's  brigade,  which  had  relieved  the 
fourth  division  on  the  left  of  the  original  position  on  the  road  to 
Ortiz,  attacked  that  village  and  drove  out  the  enemy.  As  soon 
as  the  movements  on  the  enemy's  flanks  took  effect,  general  Cole, 
with  two  British  and  two  Portuguese  battalions  of  the  fourth 
division,  assailed  the  front  of  the  position.  The  enemy  now 
gave  way,  having  been  dislodged  from  a  mountain  position  to  all 
aj)pcarance  impregnable,  by  the  masterly  manonuvres  of  their 
opponent,  and  the  irresistible  ardor  of  his  brave  soldiers.  Lord 
Wellington  pursued  this  corps  of  the  enemy  to  Olatjue,  which 
place  he  reached  at  sunset ;  being  thus  already  in  rear  of  those 
forces  with  which  Sir  Rowland  Hill  had  been  engaged. 

The  enemy  had  appeared  in  front  of  Sir  Rowland  late  in  tlie 
morning,  and  had  immediately  commenced  an  extended  manoeu- 
vre on  his  left  flank.  That  general,  therefore,  directed  general 
Pringle  to  gain  the  sunmiit  of  the  hill  on  the  left  of  the  read 
leading  to  Iji  Zarza,  and,  as  the  PVcnch  extended  to  their  right, 
to  watch  and  follow  their  movements  on  the  ridge  opposite. 
(Jcneral  Walker's  brigade  was  al.»^  moved  to  the  left  of  the 
road  ;  the  Portuguese  troops  remaining  upon  tlie  heights  to  the 
right  of  it. 

While  tlie  enemy  thus  manoeuvred  on  the  left  of  Hill's  po- 


128  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

sition,  they  repeatedly  attacked  it  in  front,  but  were  always 
driven  back  with  a  heavy  loss,  and  were  often  charged  with  the 
bayonet  In  these  combats  the  92d  and  the  34th  regiments 
were  distinguished.  Sir  Rowland  Hill  effectually  repulsed  all 
the  efforts  to  break  his  front ;  and  as  he  was  constantly  rein- 
forced from  the  right,  as  the  success  of  lord  Wellington's  opera- 
tions enabled  him  to  spare  troops  for  his  support,  he  long  main- 
tained the  position  which  he  occupied  behind  Lizasso.  At  last, 
count  d'Erlon  having  filed  a  large  division  round  his  left  flank, 
he  leisurely  withdrew  to  another  ridge  of  mountain  about  a 
mile  in  his  rear,  and  maintained  his  ground  throughout  the  day 
against  every  assault. 

The  enemy,  thus  foiled  at  all  points,  retired  in  the  night. 
The  allies  pursued  them  the  next  morning,  and  came  up  to  two 
divisions,  posted  in  the  pass  of  Donna  Maria,  on  a  very  formida- 
ble position.  These  troops  were  immediately  dislodged  by  the 
second  and  seventh  divisions,  under  Sir  Rowland  Hill  and  lord 
Dalhousie.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  ardor  with  which  these 
divisions  ascended  the  flanks  of  the  mountain.  The  brigade  of 
general  Barnes  drove  more  than  double  its  numbers  from  one  of 
the  mo.st  difficult  points. 

Lord  Wellington  had  marched  in  pursuit  by  the  pass  of 
Velate,  on  Irurita;  thus  turning  the  pass  of  Donna  Maria. 

A  large  convoy  going  to  the  enemy  was  taken  by  general 
Byng  in  the  town  of  Elizondo. 

The  pursuit  was  still  vigorously  continued  on  the  1st  of  Au- 
gust, in  the  valley  of  the  Bidassoa,  and  many  prisoners  and 
much  baggage  were  captured.  On  the  evening  of  this  day 
the  posts  of  the  army  were  again  establisiied  upon  the  frontier, 
in  nearly  the  same  positions  which  they  had  occupied  on  the 
25th  of  July. 

Thus  terminated  a  series  of  severe  combats  and  brilliant 
operations,  in  which  the  enemy  put  forth  all  his  strength,  and 
manifested  all  his  skill  and  experience,  in  vain.  They  lost  more 
than  8000  men.  How  gi-eat  were  Soult's  expectations  of  suc- 
cess, may  be  gathered  not  merely  from  the  confident  tone  of  his 
address  to  his  army,  but  from  his  advancing  into  the  Pyrenees, 
accompanied  by  a  large  body  of  cavalry,  and  a  great  number  of 
guns,  whicli  he  did  not  and  could  not  use  in  the  battle  that  oc- 
curred. On  tlie  night  of  the  2'3th  he  sent  back  his  guns  to 
France,  which  were  thus  only  preserved.  On  the  28th,  the 
garrison  of  Pampeluna  made  a  spirited  sortie,  and  obtained 
I)ossession  of  several  batteries;  but  they  were  driven  back 
again  by  the  Spanish  division  under  don  Carlos  d'Espafia. 
Although  Soult  penetrated  within  one  league  of  the  place,  and 
manoBuvred  near  it  for  four  days,  no  communication  whatever 
passed   between  the  army  and  the  garrison :   they  heard  the 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  129 

very  struggle  for  relief, — the  firing  ceased,  and  Pampeluna  waa 
abandoned  to  its  fate.  Never  were  the  abilities  of  lord  Wel- 
lington more  severely  tried,  or  more  eminently  displayed,  than 
in  these  important  actions;  never  was  a  general  more  devotedly 
supported  by  brave  and  attached  soldiers,  than  he  was  by  all  the 
troops  who  fought  on  these  memorable  days.  The  loss  of  the 
allies  amountocl  to  6(HX). 

On  the  28th  of  July,  the  only  place  where  lord  Wellington 
could  command  such  a  view  of  the  field  as  he  desired,  was  on 
the  top  of  the  hill  .so  frequently  assaulted.  There  he  sat  upon 
the  ground  during  tlie  whole  of  the  hottest  affairs,  exposed  re- 
peatedly within  close  musket  range :  but  here,  as  at  Vittoria, 
where,  in  the  heat  of  the  battle,  he  rode  through  the  fire  of 
eighty  guns,  passing  along  the  front  of  the  tremendous  battery 
jn  the  French  centre — here,  as  there,  God  covered  his  head  in 
battle;  not  a  hair  of  it  was  scathed,  and  he  was  preserved  to  his 
grateful  and  admiring  country. 

Lord  Wellington  transmitted  his  dispatches  to  England  by 
the  hands  of  the  hereditary  prince  of  Orange,  who  had  a  horse 
shot  under  him  on  this  occasion,  and  who  had  now  accompanied 
tiie  head-quarters  of  the  allied  army  for  nearly  two  years,  to 
learn  that  noble  art,  by  which,  if  they  know  not  to  prevail, 
both  princes  and  nations  too  often  perish. 

The  intelligence  of  the  triumph  at  Vittoria  had  been  received 
in  England  witii  a  feeling  that  did  the  nation  honor.  The  re- 
joicings were  sjx)ntancous  and  general :  every  village  had  its 
bonfires, — all  the  towns  were  illuminated.  Both  houses  of  par- 
liament voted  their  thanks  to  the  victorious  army ;  and  lord 
Wellington  was  promoted  to  tlie  rank  of  field  marshal.  This 
dignity  was  conferred  on  the  illustrious  general  with  very  high 
and  particular  distinction.  The  marshal's  staff"  of  England  was 
sent  to  lord  Wellington,  accomjmnied  by  a  letter  from  the 
prince  regent,  written  with  his  own  hand.  Among  other  ex- 
pressions of  admiration  and  gratitude,  the  prince,  with  a  senti- 
ment becoming  his  royal  station,  writes  thus: — "I  feel  I  liave 
nothing  left  to  say  but  devo\itly  to  offer  up  my  prayers  of  grati- 
tude to  I'riividenro  that  it  has  in  its  omnipotent  liounty  blessed 
my  country  and  myself  with  such  a  general.  Vou  have  sent 
me  among  the  trophies  of  your  unrivalled  fame  the  staff"  of  a 
French  nrirshal.  I  send  you  in  return  that  of  England.  The 
British  army  will  hail  it  with  enthusiasm." 

This  they  did  :  and  proud  they  were  to  prove  in  the  severe 
conflict.s  whi(;li,  occurring  so  soon  after  tliat  victory,  showed  its 
unspeakable  importance  and  value,  that,  under  the  same  great 
commanrlcr,  tliey  were  ready  and  able  to  defeat  all  tiiose  vast 
and  sudden  efforts  to  disturb  their  conoucst,  which  tlie  lieuten- 


130  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

ant  of  the  emperor  had  so  resolutely  made.  The  birthday  of 
Napoleon  was  not  celebrated  m  Vittoria,  and  the  advanced  sen- 
tinels of  the  British  army  were  now  planted  upon  "  the  sacred 
soil  of  France." 


CHAP.  XII. 

THE  OPERATIONS  AGAINST  ST.  SEBASTIAN  RENEWED. THE  CITY  TAKEN  BY 

STORM. SOULt's  last  EFFORT  FOR  ITS  RELIEF. ADMIRABLE  CONDUCT 

OF   THE    SPANISH     TROOPS    AT    SAN     MARCIAL. NOTICE    OF   THE   MOVE- 
MENTS   ON    THE    EASTERN   COAST    OF    SPAIN    DURING    THE    SPRING    AND 

SUMMER    OF    1813. LORD    WELLINGTON    CROSSES    THE   BIDASSOA,   AND 

ADVANCES   THE   POSITION   OF    HIS    LEFT    WING. ^THE    SURRENDER    OF 

^AMPELUNA. 

The  siege  of  St.  Sebastieui,  which,  during  these  late  opera- 
tions, had  of  necessity  been  suspended,  was  now  resumed.  The 
guns,  which  had  been  removed,  were  again  landed;  and,  as 
the  trenches  had  been  guarded  by  a  small  blockading  force,  the 
besiegers  were  enabled  to  reoccupy  their  posts,  without  the 
labor  of  breaking  ground. 

It  was  decided  to  renew  the  former  attack  with  an  increased 
power  of  artillery ;  to  establish  new  batteries  on  the  isthmus, 
and  to  continue  the  breach  round  the  angle  of  the  land  front. 
Upon  the  19th  of  August,  transports  arrived  from  England,  with 
a  good  and  sufficient  number  of  heavy  guns  and  mortars.  The 
same  transports  brought  out  a  company  of  Royal  Sappers  and 
Miners.  In  addition  to  this,  Sir  George  Collier  landed  both  men 
and  guns  from  the  squadron  to  assist  in  the  operations.  Some 
of  the  batteries  were  now  enlarged,  and  the  formation  of  others 
was  commenced.  At  midnight  on  the  24th  the  garrison  made  a 
sally,  and  rushed  into  the  advanced  part  of  the  trenches.  Here 
they  caused  a  momentary  confusion,  and  took  about  a  dozen 
prisoners;  but  they  were  almost  immediately  driven  away. 
On  the  morning  of  the  26th  the  batteries  opened,  by  signal, 
with  a  salvo  from  fifty-seven  pieces  of  ordnance ;  forty-two  of 
these  on  the  right  attack,  and  fifteen  upon  the  left,  on  the 
isthmus. 

On  the  night  between  the  26th  and  27th  the  boats  of  the 
squadron,  with  a  detachment  of  infantry,  surprised  and  took 
possession  of  the  island  of  Santa  Clara,  which  is  situate  off  the 
entrance  of  the  harbor,  and  enfilades  the  defences  of  the  castle. 
The  enemy  had  a  post  of  one  officer  and  twenty-four  men  on 
this  rocky  island — they  were  taken.  On  the  night  of  the  27th 
the  garrison  made  a  sortie  upon  the  side  of  the  isthmus :  they 
were  repulsed  immediately  with  the  bayonet,  and  driven  away 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELUNGTON.  131 

without  effecting  tlie  slightest  mischief.  On  the  28th  tlie  be- 
siegers maintained  a  direct  fire  on  tlie  place  from  eighty  pieces 
of  ordnance.  On  the  30th  the  breaches  appeared  good  and 
practicable,  and  lord  Wellington  decided  uiwn  the  assault  for 
the  day  following.  The  operation  was  directed  by  Sir  Thomas 
Graham  in  person.  The  troops  engaged  in  the  assault  consisted 
of  detachments  of  volunteers  from  the  first,  light,  and  fourth 
divisions,  of  the  brigades  of  the  fifth  division,  under  generals 
Robinson,  Hay,  and  Spry,  and  of  the  5tli  Portuguese  ca^adores. 

At  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  when  the  tide  had  av^- 
ficiently  ebbed,  the  columns  advanced  to  the  assault. 

Sir  James  Leith  commanded  the  division.  The  brigade  of 
general  Robinson  led  the  storm. 

The  enemy,  as  they  approached,  exploded  two  mines,  which 
blew  down  a  large  portion  of  the  high  retaining  wall  next  the 
sea.  Under  this  the  assailants  were  passing ;  but  not  being  in 
very  close  order,  or  very  near  the  wall,  not  above  thirty  were 
buried  by  its  ruins  ;  and  the  soldiers  gained  the  summit  of  the 
breach  without  a  check.  But  here  tlicy  were  instantly  swept 
down  by  a  close  and  deadly  fire  of  musketry  from  the  ruined 
houses  within,  which  iiad  been  intrenched  and  loop-holed.  While 
at  the  foot  of  the  breach,  a  flank  fire  of  grape,  round  shot,  and 
musketry  showered  death  upon  the  rear  of  the  column.  Never- 
theless, tliey  bravely  and  repeatedly  pushed  to  the  summit;  but 
beyond  it  they  could  not  advance,  and  on  it  they  could  not  remain 
and  live. 

To  support  these  desperate  attacks,  fresh  troops  were  poured 
out  of  the  trenches  ;  and,  for  nearly  two  hours,  persevering  at- 
tempts were  continued ;  but  in  vain.  A  detachment  of  Portu- 
guese, under  major  Snodgrass,  forded  the  Urumea  in  gallant 
order,  under  the  fire  of  St.  Elmo  and  of  the  infantry  on  the  walls, 
and  assaulted  the  small  breach  to  the  right  of  the  main  one ;  but 
the  struggle  was  still  without  success.  Sir  Thomas  Graham 
having  consulted  with  lieutenant-colonel  Dickson,  commanding 
tlie  artillery,  the  liatteries  now  commenced  firing  over  the  assail- 
ants at  the  foot  and  on  the  face  of  the  breach ;  and  the  defenders 
were  driven  from  the  curtain  and  the  traverse  by  the  weight, 
fury,  and  admirable  direction  of  the  fire.  At  last,  a  (juantity  of 
combustibles,  ranged  along  the  works  for  tlie  closer  defence  of 
them  suddenly  exploded.  In  the  confusion  which  ensued,  the 
assiiilants  made  a  vigorous  rusli,  and  rendered  themselves  masters 
of  the  first  traverse.  Animated  by  this  succes.s,  they  soon,  in  spite 
of  a  fierce  resistance,  pushed  up  on  tlie  liigli  curtain  in  great 
numbers;  and,  assisting  each  other,  lowered  themselves  into  the 
town  by  the  ruina  At  the  same  time  tin;  Portuguese  forced  in 
at  the  small  breach  to  the  rigliL  The  enemy  now  attempted,  in 
vain,  to  defend  tlie  numerous  retrenciimcnts  in  the  streets.    They 


132  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

were,  on  all  sides,  impetuously  assaulted,  and  immediately  driven 
back.  Seven  hundred  were  made  prisoners,  and  the  rest  of  the 
garrison  took  refuge  in  the  castle. 

The  horrors  of  this  assault  were  fearfully  increased  by  an 
awful  storm  of  thunder,  lightning,  and  rain.  At  the  close,  fires 
broke  out  in  various  quarters  of  the  town ;  and,  as  the  garrison 
of  the  castle  was  firing  down  the  streets,  and  the  dispersed  sol- 
diers of  the  allies  were  drinking  and  plundering  in  the  houses, 
it  was  not  possible  to  extinguish  tlie  flames.  The  scene  was 
afflictive  and  appalling. 

Two  thousand  men  fell  in  this  assault ;  and  yet  the  mine  (in 
the  chamber  of  which  was  found  twelve  hundred  weight  of  pow- 
der), by  the  breaking  of  a  saucisson  at  the  moment  of  assault, 
was,  happily,  never  fired.  Sir  Richard  Fletcher,  the  command- 
ing engineer,  an  esteemed  and  able  officer,  was  shot  through 
the  heart  during  the  storm.  Generals  Leith,  Oswald,  and  Rob- 
inson were  wounded ;  and  the  officers  suffered  severely,  both  in 
killed  and  wounded. 

Soult  made  an  effort  to  relieve  St.  Sebastian  on  the  531st.  The 
main  strength  of  the  covering  army  consisted  of  8000  Spaniards, 
under  general  Freyre.  These  troops  were  posted  on  the  heights 
of  San  Marcial,  on  the  left  of  the  Bidassoa,  covering  the  high 
road  from  Bayonne.  Their  front  and  left  flank  were  covered  by 
the  river;  the  mountain  of  Haya  supported  their  right.  The 
first  division  was  in  rear  of  Irun,  and  the  guerrillas  of  Longa 
were  on  tlie  mountains  of  Haya.  Thus  the  position  of  the  Span- 
iards was  strong,  and  furnished  with  a  good  reserve  on  their 
left.  The  enemy  were  seen  in  force  at  Vera  on  the  30th ;  there- 
fore the  brigade  of  general  Inglis  was  moved  to  the  bridge  of 
Lezaca  ;  that  of  general  Ross  was  posted  on  the  left  of  tlie  Haya 
mountain ;  and  a  Portuguese  brigade  was  ordered  to  take  post 
on  the  right  of  the  same  mountain,  to  prevent  its  being  turned. 

On  the  morning  of  the  31st,  two  divisions  of  the  French 
forded  the  Bidassoa  in  front  of  the  Spanish  left,  and  ascended 
the  strong  heights  with  undaunted  confidence.  The  Spaniards 
remained  steady  and  firm  till  tlie  enemy's  column  nearly  reached 
the  summit,  when  they  suddenly  charged  bayonets.  The  French 
instantly  broke,  fled  down  the  hill,  and  crossed  the  river  with 
such  heedless  precipitation,  that  many  who  missed  the  fords  were- 
drowned.  The  French,  however,  under  cover  of  the  heights  on 
their  side  of  the  river,  were  enabled  at  a  favorable  bend  to  lay 
down  a  pontoon  bridge.  This  was  completed  early  in  the  after- 
noon ;  and  they  passed  over  in  number  about  15,000,  and  made  a 
general  attack  on  the  heights  of  San  Marcial.  As  the  enemy 
were  coming  on,  lord  Wellington  rode  down  the  Spanish  line. 
The  Spaniards  hailed  him  with  loud  and  repeated  vivas.  And  as 
soon  as  the  French  columns  were  well  up  the  ascent,  they  rushed 


THE  DUKE  OF  AV ELLINGTON.  133 

Upon  them  with  their  bayonets ;  and  the  French,  terrified  at  the 
ardor  and  fierceness  of  the  charge,  immediately  turned,  and 
ran  for  their  livea  The  Spaniards  pursued  closely;  and  the 
French  recrossed  the  river  in  all  the  confusion  of  a  panic.  Some 
rushed  into  the  stream  where  there  was  no  ford,  and  sank  imme- 
diately; others  got  safe  over  by  the  fords,  and  vast  numbers 
crowded  across  the  bridge.  But  at  last  the  pressure  upon  the 
bridge  became  so  heavy  from  the  close-wedged  fugitives  who 
brouglit  up  the  rear,  that  it  sank ;  and  most  of  those  passing  at 
the  moment  fell  into  Uie  water,  and  rose  no  more.  Lord  Wel- 
lington was  delighted  with  the  conduct  of  the  Spanish  troops, 
and  bestowed  his  praise  on  them<  in  the  strongest  language.  He 
spoke  of  it  as  ecjual  to  that  of  any  troops  he  had  ever  seen  en- 
gaged. Tliey  did  nobly,  and  they  had  enough  to  animate  them 
to  do  nobly. 

During  this  attempt  to  force  the  direct  road  to  St.  Sebastian, 
a  second  corps  of  the  enemy  endeavored  to  pass  to  the  right  of 
the  mountain  of  llaya,  where  another  road  leads  upon  St.  Sebas- 
tian through  Oyarzun.  The  heights  between  Lezaca  and  the 
Bidassoa  not  being  judged  tenable,  the  Portuguese  brigade,  sup- 
ported by  that  of  general  Inglis,  retired  to  a  rough  and  lofty  ridge 
near  the  Convent  of  St.  Antonio:  here  more  troops  were  soon 
assembled ;  and  the  enemy,  baffled  at  all  points,  retreated.  So 
much  rain  had  fallen  during  the  day,  that  the  river  was  no  longer 
fordable  by  the  time  half  their  force  had  recrossed ;  therefore 
they  had  to  cross  the  bridge  at  Vera,  which  they  could  not  do 
without  engaging  some  of  the  light  division.  However,  they  had 
no  alternative ;  and  effected  their  passage  at  that  point,  exposed 
to  so  sharp  a  fire  of  musketry  as  caused  them  severe  loss.  Thus 
ended  the  la-st  effort  of  the  enemy  for  the  relief  of  St.  Sebastian. 
It  cost  them  two  generals  of  division  killed,  and  a  great  number 
of  men ;  as  many,  according  to  some  accounts,  as  2t)00  killed 
and  wounded.  It  was  a  defeat  very  mortifying  to  the  military 
pride  of  the  French  ;  for  tlieir  main  attempt  was  upon  tlie  Span- 
ish line,  and  the  Spaniards  had  the  honor  of  bravely  repulsing 
them  with  tiic  Ixiyonet. 

It  was  not  until  tlie  8th  of  September  that  batteries  could  be 
raised  and  armed  against  tlie  castle  of  St.  Sebastian.  This  castle 
stands  on  a  rocky  promontory,  and  is  built  upon  tlie  cone  which 
rises  U(K)  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea;  but  the  whole  of  the 
rcxik  had  l)een  formed  into  one  strong  jmst.  The  citadel,  or  Fort 
Iai  Mota,  has  such  high  scarjv*,  timt  it  cannot  be  assaulted ;  and 
the  ma.s)nry  is  very  thick  and  solid.  It  is,  however,  small ;  and 
tlie  garrison  has  but  little  shelter  from  bombs. 

Lord  Wellington,  who  had  positively  refused  to  expedite  tlie 
reduction  of  the  city  by  bombardment,  on  account  of  the  inhabit- 
ants, gave  irmncdiatc  orders  to  bombard  the  caiitic  ;  and  sliould 

Vol.  II.  M 


134  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

he  fail  thus  to  induce  a  capitulation,  he  further  resolved  to  breach 
the  main  points  of  the  castle  defences,  and  to  assault  the  garrison. 
Accordingly  from  the  1st  to  the  8th  of  September  a  fire  of  mor- 
tars and  howitzers  had  been  maintained  against  Fort  La  Mota 
and  the  other  defences,  with  great  vigor,  and  such  effect,  that,  as 
early  as  the  3d,  general  Rey  proposed  to  surrender,  upon  terms, 
however,  not  admissible.  On  the  8th,  all  the  batteries  which  had 
been  erected  upon  the  works  of  the  town  and  on  the  flanks, 
opened  at  the  same  moment  a  fire  of  such  weight  and  rapidity, 
and  so  admirably  directed,  that  in  two  hours  the  governor  beat 
the  chamade,  and  surrendered.  The  garrison  marched  out  the 
following  morning  with  the  honors  of  war,  and  laid  down  their 
arms.  The  prisoners  amounted  to  more  than  1800,  including 
officers.  Of  this  number  more  than  500  were  found  in  hospital. 
Thus  was  St.  Sebastian  taken.  It  had  been  most  ably  and  vigor- 
ously defended ;  and  the  besiegers  lost  nearly  4000  men  in  the 
attack. 

A  brief  notice  of  those  operations  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
Spain,  which  were  conducted  during  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1813,  by  Sir  John  Murray,  is  here  necessary  to  illustrate  the 
position  of  the  allies. 

During  the  winter  of  1812-13,  large  reinforcements  arrived 
at  Alicant  from  Sicily :  thus  the  British  force  consisted  of  10,400 
infantry,  and  700  horse.  But  of  this  force,  not  much  more  than 
6000  could  be  confidently  relied  on.  In  this  last  number  are 
included  near  2000  of  the  German  legion,  troops  as  noble  and 
faithful  as  any  in  the  world.  But  the  Italian  levy  had  been 
raised  principally  from  deserters;  and  the  men  passed  back  to 
the  French  in  such  numbers,  that  it  became  necessary  to  disarm 
the  2d  Italian  regiment  and  embark  it :  about  8000  Spaniards,  in 
two  divisions,  under  generals  Whittingham  and  Roche,  acted  with 
the  Anglo-Sicilian  army :  thus  Sir  John  Murray  commanded  a 
force  of  more  than  10,000  foot  and  1500  liorse. 

Sums  prodigally  large  had  been  expended  on  the  equipment 
of  the  Spanisli  divisions  of  Whittingham  and  Roche,  and  they 
were  in  British  pay :  therefore  the  men  were  in  good  humor. 
General  Whittingham  was  a  most  zealous  and  active  officer,  and 
succeeded  most  happily  in  the  organization  of  his  cavalry  ;  but  so 
heavy  was  the  expense  bestowed  upon  the  two  divisions,  on  that 
of  Roche  in  particular,  that  double  the  number  of  men  might 
have  been  clotlied  and  equipped  in  a  style  suitable  and  efficient, 
for  half  the  cost  of  their  superfluities  and  finery.  At  the  same 
time,  all  this  lavish  expenditure  of  the  English  nation,  while  it 
fattened  contractors  and  distributors,  and  gratified  the  vanity  of 
Spanish  recruits,  who  strutted  about  in  scarlet  dress  pantaloons, 
gave  much  umbrage  to  the  less  favored  troops.  Of  this,  the 
anonymous  writers  in  the  newspapers  of  Alicant  took  advantage; 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  135 

and  it  aided  them  in  their  constant  efforts  to  sow  distrust  and  jeal- 
ousy of  the  English  in  the  bosom  of  their  countrymen ;  and  to 
generate  dissensions  between  general  Elio,  who  commanded  a 
separate  Spanish  corps  of  12,000  men  in  Murcia,  and  the  British 
commander.  But  Elio  had  too  good  a  spirit  to  regard  these  effi)rt8 
with  favor. 

The  two  commanders,  early  in  March,  made  a  combined  forward 
movement ;  Sir  John  Murray  moved  into  tlie  mountainous  district 
of  Castalla,  drove  the  French  from  Alcoy,  and  placed  his  advanced 
posts  at  Ibi  and  Biar.  Elio,  meanwhile  advanced  to  Yecla  and 
Villena,  on  the  plain  country  to  tlie  left  of  the  allies. 

In  the  beginninor  of  April,  Suchet  collected  his  forces  for  the 
field ;  and  on  the  11th,  general  Harispe  surprised  tlie  Spanish 
division  at  Yecla ;  and  tlie  French  cavalry  charging  them  on  the 
plain  as  they  attempted  to  retire,  about  15(K)  were  killed  or  taken. 
The  day  following,  a  Spanish  regiment  left  in  the  castle  of  Vil- 
lena, being  without  the  means  of  defence,  and  separated  by  the 
French  movements  from  all  support,  was  compelled  to  capitu- 
late. On  this  day,  Suchet  "marched  upon  the  pass  of  Biar,  and 
attacked  the  advanced  posts  of  the  allies  under  colonel  Adam. 
The  colonel,  in  pursuance  of  his  instructions,  fell  lack  upon 
Castalla  in  good  order,  contesting  tlie  ground  handsomely  for  two 
hours ;  nevertheless,  he  was  forced  to  abandon  to  the  enemy  two 
mountain  guns  whicli  had  been  disabled. 

The  next  day  Suchet,  having  brought  up  three  divisions  of 
infantry  and  two  brigades  of  honso,  attacked  the  allies.  The  left 
of  the  allied  position  rested  on  some  rocky  iieights  in  front  of 
Castalla.  The  centre  was  near  the  old  Moorish  castle,  and  very 
difficult  of  access.  The  right  was  thrown  back,  and  covered  bv 
a  deep  ravine. 

Suchet  so  disposed  his  cavalry  as  to  menace  and  hold  in  check 
the  right,  while  he  directed  a  heavy  column  of  infantry  to  attack 
the  left.  This  column,  preceded  by  a  swarm  of  light  infantry  in 
Bkinnishing  order,  slowly  ascended  the  heights,  opposed  as  they 
advanced  by  tiie  musketry  of  the  Spanish  f(K)t  under  Whitting- 
ham ;  but  in  about  an  liour  they  reached  the  upper  slope  of  the 
mountain,  and  came  full  upon  the  front  of  the  *27th  regiment. 
This  corps  gave  them  a  close,  steady  volley,  chargetl  bayonets, 
and  drove  them  immediately  down  the  face  of  tlie  ascent.  The 
Spaniards  supported  this  charge,  and  joined  in  tlie  repulse,  which 
was  so  effectual  that  the  enemy,  having  sustained  considerable 
loss,  did  not  make  a  second  attempt. 

With  the  (lofile  of  Hiiir  in  his  rear,  Suchet  could  not  have 
riske<l  a  genoral  attnck  without  imimidence.  lie  tlierefore  led 
back  his  people  through  llie  jxiss  of  Biar,  and  retreated  by  Vil- 
lena and  Fucnte  la  Hignera  on  St  Felijie.  The  day  after  this 
combat,  Sir  John  Murray  marched  by  the  direct  route  of  Alcoy 


136  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

upon  St  Felipe,  hoping  to  reach  the  Xucar  before  Suchet,  and 
to  intercept  him ;  but  folding,  after  the  first  day's  inarch,  that  he 
was  too  late  to  effect  this  object,  he  returned  to  the  position  of 
Castalla.  The  allies  lost  in  this  affair  650  men  killed,  wounded, 
and  missing. 

After  these  operations,  marshal  Suchet  confined  his  attention 
to  the  strong  line  of  the  Xucar.  As  he  could  at  any  moment 
have  occupied  this  position  with  a  sufficient  force  both  of  infantry 
and  horse,  the  allies  could  not  venture  to  attack  him.  Moreover, 
2000  British  troops  were  just  at  this  moment  recalled  to  Sicily, 
so  that  the  "armies  here  remained  inactive  till  May. 

It  was  a  part  of  lord  Wellington's  plan  for  the  campaign  of 
1813,  that  Suchet  should  be  compelled  to  evacuate  the  fine  prov- 
ince of  Valencia,  if  not  the  Lower  Ebro  as  well,  and  that  his 
attention  and  his  troops  should  be  fully  occupied.  Therefore  he 
instructed  Sir  John  Murray  to  embark  his  army,  to  convey  it  to 
the  coast  of  Catalonia,  possess  himself  if  possible  of  some  mari- 
time fortress,  and  co-operate  actively  with  the  Catalan  com- 
manders. 

In  the  event,  however,  of  Suchet  coming  upon  him  in  force 
before  he  had  succeeded  in  capturing  a  strong-hold  in  Catalonia, 
he  was  to  embark  again  with  all  possible  expedition,  return  to 
Valencia,  and  fall  upon  tlie  enemy's  strong  lines  before  they 
could  bring  back  sufficient  troops  for  their  protection.  The  Span- 
ish troops  in  Murcia  and  Granada  under  the  duke  del  Parque 
were  to  approach  the  line  of  the  Xucar  in  aid  of  such  an 
attempt. 

On  the  31st  of  May,  the  fleet  of  transports,  with  Sir  John 
Murray's  troops  on  board,  sailed  from  Alicant ;  and  they  came  to 
anchor  off  Tarragona  at  dusk  on  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  June. 

The  troops  were  landed  the  next  morning.  By  the  hearty 
exertions  of  admiral  Hallowell,  his  officers,  and  the  seamen,  the 
whole  force  was  on  shore,  and  Tarragona  was  invested,  by  three 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  3d. 

The  garrison,  which  had  been  vigilantly  observed  by  a  body 
of  Spaniards  under  general  Copons,  had  received  no  reinforce- 
ments, and  only  mustered  700  men. 

As  the  only  road  between  Tortosa  and  Tarragona,  practicable 
for  carriages,  is  commanded  by  the  Fort  Balaguer,  a  place  on  the 
coast  a  few  miles  west  of  Tarragona,  a  brigade  under  colonel 
Prevost  was  appointed  to  attack  this  post.  It  is  a  small  work, 
standing  on  the  Col  de  Balaguer,  about  1000  yards  from  thfe  sea, 
and  400  above  its  level. 

The  attack  of  this  fort  had  difficulties  which  good-will,  hard 
labor,  and  the  zealous  assistance  of  the  English  seamen,  soon 
overcame.  Supplies  even  of  water  ^ere  brought  from  the  fleet. 
Earth  for  the  batteries  was  carried  up  to  tlie  rock  from  the  plain 


TUB  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON^.  137 

beneath.  Guns  were  dragged  up  by  hand.  The  fire  opened  on 
the  6th,  and  a  number  of  shells  were  thrown  into  the  work. 
The  next  day  the  fort  capitulated,  and  the  garrison,  a  detach- 
ment of  eighty  men,  were  made  prisoners  of  war. 

The  outer  lino  of  Tarragona  had  been  dismantled,  and  most  of 
tlie  works  destroyed  by  the  Frencli  as  soon  as  ever  they  became 
masters  of  it  The  defences,  heretofore  so  extensive,  and  re- 
quiring so  large  a  garrison,  no  longer  existed.  The  interior  line 
was  alone  left,  and  a  few  hundred  troops  were  considered  suffi- 
cient for  its  protection  against  any  sudden  or  incomplete  attack. 
The  governor,  however,  on  the  appearance  of  the  allies,  hastily 
repaired  and  occupied  the  Fort  lloyal,  and  tiie  bastion  of  San 
Carlos ;  the  one  a  detached  work,  and  both  in  the  outer  line. 

On  tlie  6tli,  general  Murray  opened  two  batteries  against  Fort 
Royal,  and  a  tiiird  on  the  following  day.  Upon  the  8th,  it  was 
practicably  breached.  It  was  not,  however,  deemed  prudent  to 
occupy  it  till  the  body  of  the  place  should  be  attacked ;  but  the 
fire  upon  it  was  continued,  to  prevent  the  restoration  of  its 
defences.  On  the  11th,  two  heavy  batteries  were  opened  upon 
the  body  of  the  place,  at  the  distance  of  4jO  yards.  But  already 
Suchet  was  hastening  from  Valencia.  He  reached  Tortosa  on 
the  9th  ;  and  learning  that  Fort  Balaguer  was  taken,  he  left  his 
artillery  there,  and  marched  forward  with  a  division  of  infantry 
across  tiie  mountains.  At  tlie  same  time  a  corps  under  general 
Maurice  Mathicu  advanced  rapidly  from  Barcelona. 

When  general  Murray  was  informed  of- tiie  approach  of  these 
forces  to  relieve  Tarragona,  he  raised  the  siege  in  haste,  and  in 
a  manner  so  irregular  and  unmilitary,  tliat  he  left  nineteen  pieces 
of  artillery  in  the  trenches.  His  infantry  was  embarked  from 
tlie  same  point  where  they  hiul  landed.*  Ilis  cavalry  and  artillery 
were  sent  to  the  Col  de  Balaguer,  that  they  might  be  put  on 
board  with  greater  convenience  and  security.    To  these  strange 

froceedings,  especially  to  the  abandonment  of  the  guns,  admiral 
lallowell  angrily  objected.  But  !Sir  John  Murray,  not  consider-  ■ 
ing  himself  strong  enough,  even  with  tlie  aid  of  Copons,  to  resist 
the  enemy  on  the  field,  would  hear  of  no  delay  tliat  might  involve 
him  in  any  combtit  for  his  artillery  ;  the  preservation  of  which  he 
would  not  admit  to  bo  of  sucli  strong  necessity,  or  so  much  a 
point  of  honor,  as  the  admiral  regarded  iL 

A  |)arty  of  French  cavalry  api)roaclied  the  out-piquets  at  Col 
de  B.ilaguer  as  the  enemy  passed  towards  Tarragona ;  and  on 
the  i:Hh,  Sir  .lolin  Murray  landed  some  infantry  at  that  jxjint, 
to  cover  the  more  slow  and  leisurely  embarkation  of  the  cavalry 
and  field  artillery.  Uinm  the  14th  he  again  put  his  whole  force 
on  shore,  hoping  to  cut  off  a  body  of  the  enemy,  and  strike  an 
ofiensive  blow :  but  tliis  was  not  done,  and  upon  tlie  17th,  lord 
M2 


138  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

William  Bentinck  arrived  from  Sicily,  and  assumed  the  chief 
command  of  this  army. 

Fort  Balaguer  was  now  destroyed ;  the  troops  were  embarked, 
and  the  expedition  returned  to  Alicant,  in  pursuance  of  those 
instructions  which  had  directed  that  an  attempt  should  be  made 
upon  the  enemy's  line  on  the  Xucar,  in  conjunction  with  the 
duke  del  Parque. 

For  disobedience  to  his  instructions,  and  for  abandoning  his 
artillery  and  stores  without  necessity,  lord  Wellington  preferred 
charges  against  general  Murray.  He  was  tried,  at  the  close  of 
the  war,  acquitted  of  all  intentional  disobedience,  but  found  guilty 
of  abandoning  artillery  and  stores  which  he  might  have  em- 
barked in  safety.  His  conduct  was  attributed  by  the  court  to  an 
error  m  judgment  That  Sir  John  Murray  acted  to  the  best  of 
his  judgment,  no  man  will  doubt ;  but  in  war  the  consequences 
of  such  errors  are  grievous.  He  was  an  officer  of  unquestionable 
spirit,  and  of  considerable  talents ;  but  he  wanted  what,  in  the 
commander  of  an  army,  or,  indeed,  in  any  station,  is  better  than 
abilities, — sound  sense.  He  was  not  blamed  for  raising  the  siege, 
nor  for  embarking,  but  for  leaving  behind  him  his  guns  and  stores ; 
and  upon  some  favorite  and  mistaken  notions  conceiving  it  as  an 
act  fully  justifiable.  It  was  subsequently  ascertained,  that  the 
three  generals,  Suchet,  Maurice  Mathieu,  and  Murray,  were  all 
running  from  each  otlier.  Suchet  Ijnew  not  of  the  advance  of 
Mathieu,  and  was  afraid  to  engage  witliout  artillery ;  Mathieu 
feared  to  advance  upon  the  English  alone;  and  Murray,  imagin- 
ing some  able  and  irresistible  combinations  of  the  other  two, 
sought  safety  in  his  ships. 

On  reaching  Alicant,  lord  William  Bentinck  immediately 
advanced  and  jouied  the^uke.del  Parque;  but  as  a  consequence 
of  the  important  battle  of  Vittoria,  the  French  posts  in  Valencia 
were  at  once  abandoned,  and  the  province  was  evacuated  early 
in  July.  Suchet  passed  into  Catalonia,  but  he  left  twelve  thou- 
sand men  to  garrison  the  fortresses  of  Denia,  Murviedro,  Penis- 
cola,  Tortosa,  Lerida,  Mcquinenza,  and  Monzon ;  of  these,  some 
were  to  the_, south  of  tlie  Ebro.  Lord  William  Bentinck  followed 
the  corps  of  Suchet  into  Catalonia,  crossed  the  Ebro  by  flying 
bridges  at  Amposta,  and  invested  Tarragona  on  the  30th  of  July. 
Meanwhile  tlie  Spanish  troops  blockaded  all  the  fort.resses  in  liis 
rear.  As  soon  as  lord  William  Bentinck  was  joined  by  the  army 
of  the  duke  del  Parque,  and  the  Catalan  force  under  Sarsfield, 
he  landed  his  ordnance  and  prepared  to  besiege  Tarragona:  this 
was  on  the  11th  of  August;  but,  before  ground  was  broken, 
Suchet  having  formed  a  junction  with  general  Decaen,  and 
assembled  every  disposable  soldier  that  Rircelona  and  the  garri- 
sons could  spare,  advanced,  for  its  relief,  at  the  head  of  more 
than  twenty  thousand  men.   A  position  was  taken  up  in  front  of 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  1 39 

Tauragona  by  the  allies.  As  the  enemy  approached,  lord  Wil- 
liam ifentinck,  not  considering  his  army  equal  to  a  battle  witii  a 
force  so  strong,  and  comjxjsed  of  such  excellent  materials  as  the 
corps  of  Suchct,  fell  back  upon  Cambrils.  The  French  marshal 
immediately  destroyed  the  works  of  Tarragona,  and,  taking 
away  the  garrison,  witiidrcw  again  behind  IJobrcgat  lie  raised 
several  redoubts  on  the  right  bank  of  this  river,  constructed  a 
t^te-de-pont  at  Molinos  del  Rev,  and  thus  covered  Barcelona  and 
communicated  with  Lerida.  The  allies  now  returned  to  the 
desolate  and  ruined  city  of  Tarragona,  and,  for  the  convenience 
of  its  bay,  it  tecame  the  rendezvous  of  the  fleet  and  store-cihips 
to  the  end  of  the  war.  In  the  beginning  of  September  the  Brit- 
ish general  moved  forward  to  Villa  Franca,  and  pushed  on  an 
advanced  corps,  consisting  of  one  British,  a  Calabrian,  and  three 
Spanish  battalions,  to  Ordal.  This  post,  which  is  of  considerable 
strength,  commands  the  high  road  from  Barcelona,  and  is  about 
ten  miles  in  advance  of  Villa  Franca.  The  enemy's  ix)sition  on 
the  Llobregat  was  about  the  san)e  dit-tance  from  Ordal ;  the 
advanced  corps  at  Ordal  was  commanded  by  colonel  Adam. 
In  the  night  of  the  l*2th  and  IJSth  of  September  his  piquets 
were  suddenly  driven  in,  and  the  enemy  came  upon  him  in 
force.  The  allies,  for  a  time,  made  a  stout  resistance ;  they 
had  four  guns  on  the  road,  which  they  fought  well  to  the  last'; 
but  they  were  overpowered  by  numbers,  tiieir  guns  were  taken, 
a  thousand  men  were  killed,  wounded,  or  taken  prifoncrs,  and 
the  remainder  made  their  way  back  in  much  confusion  to  tlio 
main  Ixxly.  On  the  day  after  this  disaster,  Suchct  advanced 
upon  Villa  Franca,  combining  his  movements  witli  those  of 
Decaen,  who  marched  upon  the  left  flank  of  the  allied  position 
from  Martorcdl.  Lord  William  Bentinck  now  retired;  an  affair 
of  cavalry  took  place  upon  the  retreat  between  a  regiment  of 
cuirassiers  and  the  Brunswick  Hussars,  in  which  the  Bruns- 
wickers  behaved  admirably.  Suchet  pursued  the  allies  no  farther, 
but  returned  to  the  line  of  the  Llobregat,  and  the  English  gen- 
eral conducted  the  allied  army  by  Altafulla  on  Tarragona. 

Soon  after  these  operations,  lord  William  Bentinck  returned 
to  his  duties  in  Sicily,  and  was  succeeded  in  command  by  g^- 
eral  Clinton. 

About  a  month  elap.sed  after  the  fall  of  St  Sebastian  before 
any  movement  could  be  undertaken  by  lord  Wellington  on  the 
frontier ;  nor,  until  Pampeluna  should  surrender,  was  it  possible 
for  him  to  assume  the  offensive.  However,  that  he  might  be 
enabled  to  do  this  with  better  advantage  when  the  proper  season 
should  arrive,  he  determined  to  dis|)(>ssess  the  enemy  of  an  ad- 
vanced position  on  the  rigiit  of  the  Bidassfm,  the  key  of  which  was 
a  strong  mountain,  calletl  Iji  Rhune,  in  front  of  the  pass  of  Vera. 
At  Uirec  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  October,  tl)e 


140  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

troops  appointed  for  this  attack  stood  to  their  arms.  As  the  object 
of  this  movement  was  to  bring  forward  the  left  of  the  allies, 
and  to  place  it  upon  such  vantage-ground  that  the  descent  of  the 
whole  army  into  France  might  he  hereafter  at  any  moment 
secured,  the  whole  of  the  left  wing  was  put  in  motion.  The 
corps  of  Sir  Thomas  Graham  forded  the  Bidassoa  at  low  water, 
in  four  columns;  and  the  Spanish  troops  of  general  Freyre 
crossed  the  river  at  the  fords  of  San  Marcial.  The  light  division 
under  baron  C.  Alton,  supported  by  the  Spaniards  of  Longa,  was 
to  assault  the  strong  redoubts  of  the  enemy  on  the  position  of 
Vera ;  and  the  Spanish  corps  of  general  Giron  was  to  march  upon 
the  intrenchments  on  the  mountain  La  Rhune.  The  troops 
moved  to  their  points  in  silence.  The  morning  was  stormy  and 
very  dark ;  and  the  columns  advanced  to  the  fords  without  being 
heard  or  discovered.  As  soon  as  they  passed  the  river,  the  French 
piquets  opened  on  them  briskly  ;  and  the  French  line  formed 
hastily  upon  its  ground.  But  all  the  enemy's  works  and  intrench- 
ments at  these  points  were  carried  rapidly  and  well  by  the  fifth 
and  first  divisions  under  Sir  Thomas  Graham,  and  by  the  Span- 
ish foot  under  Freyre ;  and  six  pieces  of  artillery  were  taken  on 
the  field. 

The  position  of  Vera  v/as  assaulted  by  the  light  division  with 
such  ardor  and  resolution,  that  in  a  very  short  time  they  were 
masters  of  every  redoubt  upon  the  ascent ;  and  had  taken  400 
prisoners,  and  three  pieces  of  cannon. 

The  Spaniards  of  general  Giron  carried  the  intrenchments 
on  the  lower  slopes  of  La  Rhune  ;  and  their  skirmishers  advanc- 
ing upon  the  flank  of  the  Vera  heights,  facilitated  the  success  of 
the  attack  of  that  post.  TIic  summit  of  La  Rhune,  w-hich  is 
almost  inaccessible,  was  not  attempted  that  evening ;  but  that 
post  surrendered  to  general  Giron  the  next  morning,  after  a 
very  feeble  resistance  ;  and,  pursuing  his  advantage,  he  captured 
another  intrenchmcnt  beyond,  which  they  immediately  aban- 
doned. 

By  the  complete  success  of  these  attacks,  so  ably  combined, 
and  so  bravely  executed,  lord  Wellington  gained  ground  on  the 
French  side  of  the  Bidassoa,  and  placed  his  left  wing  in  a  com- 
manding position.  In  these  affairs  the  loss  of  the  allies  amounted 
to  more  than  1500  men. 

On  the  31st  of  October,  the  garrison  of  Pampeluna,  4000  in 
number,  after  a  blockade  of  four  months,  surrrendered  prisoners 
of  war ;  and  the  place  was  given  up  to  don  Carlos  d'Espana. 
But  that  officer  took  care  to  ascertain  that  the  inhabitants  had 
not  been  subjected  to  any  violence  gr  ill-treatment  during  the 
blockade,  before  he  granted  the  usual  terms. 

The  whole  of  this  autumn,  from  the  battles  of  the  Pyrenees 
to  the  fall  of  Pampeluna,  had  been  passed  by  the  greater  part  of 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  141 

the  troops  hutted,  or  under  canvas,  on  the  cold  and  cloudjr 
summits  of  the  western  Pyrenees.  They  endured  very  great 
privations.  Their  piquet  and  night  duties  were  incessant,  and 
very  harassing ;  the  weather  was  severe  and  wet.  The  dullness 
of  these  camps  and  bivouacs,  the  wearisome  duties  of  guard  and 
fatigue,  and  the  sufferings  from  frost  and  sleet,  tired  the  patience, 
and  shook  the  constancy,  of  the  worst  soldiers.  Oftentimes  as 
the  chill  mist  upon  the  mountains  was  for  a  few  hours  dissipated 
by  the  sun  or  wind,  the  plains  of  France  were  seen  spread  below ; 
and  the  eye  of  the  longing  sentinel,  freezing  at  his  post,  could 
discern  the  smoke  of  towns  and  villages,  and  scattered  home- 
steads, lying  in  pleasant  and  warm  valleys,  all  green  with  verdure, 
or  golden  with  corn.  Thus  many  an  idle  rover,  without  prin- 
ciple to  endure  to  tiie  end,  was  tempted  away,  and  deserted  to 
the  plain  below.  The  crime  became  so  frequent,  that  it  was 
found  necessary  to  check  it  by  severe  examples.  As  soon  as 
Pampeluna  fell,  the  expectations  of  the  men  were  again  raised. 
Their  hopes  awoke ;  content  and  cheerfulness  returned.  Upon 
all  sides  the  busy  preparations  for  some  important  service  were 
seen  and  understood.  Considerable  forces  were  moved  to  the  left. 
It  was  known  that  marshal  ^oult  had  prepared  a  defensive  po- 
sition on  the  Nivelle,  covered  with  a  most  formidable  line  of 
works ;  and  that  the  attack  of  this  position  would  of  necessity 
be  the  first  blow  of  a  campaign  in  France. 


CHAP,  XIII. 

LORD   WlaXINGTON    INVADES     FRANCE. DRIVES   SOULT     FROM    IMS   FIRST 

LINK  OF  DEFENCE. TAKES  A  POSITION  IN  FRONT  OF  ST.  JEAN  I)E  LUZ 

AND   PLACES    HIS    ARMY    IN    CANTONMENTS. TAKES    TIIE    FIELD  IN  THE 

MIDDLE  OF  DECEMBER,  TO  EXTEND  HIS  OWN  POSITION,  AND  TO  CIRCUM- 
SCRIBE THAT    OF    MARSHAL    SOILT. — SOULt's    I'OWERFIL    ATTACKS    ON 

THE  Lfjrr  AND  RIGHT  OF  TIIE  ALLIES DEFEATED  IN  I!OTH.-.-Bll  11,1,1  ANT 

VICTORY  OF  SIR  ROWLAND  HILL  ON  THE  13tII  Of  DECEMDER, —  IXIRD 
WELLINGTON  REMAINS  IN  CANT0NJ1ENT8  TILL  fE^RUARY.i— rABS^GE  OF 
THE  A  DOUR. 

It  was  a  bright  honor  and  a  rich  reward  to  the  army  of  Eng- 
land, and  to  its  patient  and  persevering  allies,  after  five  years  of 
severe  warfare,  to  carry  forward  their  triumphant  standards  into 
the  territory  of  the  common  foo. 

The  spirit  in  whicli  lord  Wellington  invadeil  France  was  calm 
and  noble.  He  impressed  forcibly  on  the  troops  his  desire  and 
resolve  that  the  inliubitants  siunild  lie  well  treattnl,  and  that  pri- 
vate property  should  Ik-  rcs])ectcd.  "Officers  and  soldiers  must 
rooollect,"  said  his  memorable  order  to  the  arniv,  "that  tbdj 


142  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

nations  are  at  war  with  France,  solely  because  the  ruler  of  the 
JVench  nation  will  not  suffer  them  to  be  at  peace,  and  is  desirous 
of  forcing  them  to  submit  to  his  yoke."  And,  after  remarking 
upon  the  conduct  of  the  French  soldiers  in  Spain  and  Portugal, 
and  the  sufferings  and  evils  resulting  to  themselves  from  their 
^eat  irregularities  and  cruelties  towards  the  unfortunate  inhab- 
itants of  those  countries,  lord  Wellington  adds,  "  to  avenge  this 
conduct  upon  the  peaceable  inhabitants  of  France  would  be 
unmanly,  and  unworthy  of  the  nations  to  whom  the  commander 
of  the  forces  now  addresses  himself"  With  these  honorable 
sentiments,  our  great  commander,  armed  strong'  in  honesty,  led 
forth  his  victorious  troops,  and  carried  the  war  mto  France. 

The  enemy  had  for  tliree  months  been  fortifying  their  position 
with  great  labor  and  care.  Their  line  covered  the  town  of 
St.  Jean  de  Luz ;  in  front  of  which  place  their  right  rested  upon 
the  sea.  From  this  point  the  line  stretched  twelve  miles  inland ; 
crossed  the  river  Nivelle,  and  terminated  on  a  strong  height 
behind  the  village  of  Ainhoue.  Upon  a  mountain  in  front  of  that 
vUlage,  they  had  also  erected  works  to  protect  the  approach  of 
their  left.  The  centre  was  on  the  left  of  the  Nivelle,  as  the 
river  there  winds  far  to  the  north,  making  a  considerable  bend 
in  its  course.  The  bridge  at  Ascain,  and  that  a  little  below  it, 
were  covered  by  strong  tetes-de-pont ;  and  the  space  included  in 
the  bend  of  the  stream  was  defended  by  several  inclosed  works, 
and  strong  lines  of  intrenchments.  The  main  defence  of  the 
centre  was  on  a  range  of  heights  behind  Sarre,  the  approach  to 
which  was  covered  by  two  redoubts,  and  by  the  mountain  called 
La  Petite  la  Rhune,  which  had  been  retrenched  and  occupied  as 
an  advanced  post.  The  whole  of  this  position  was  strong  by 
nature,  and  it  had  been  fortified  with  skill.  In  many  parts  it  was 
impregnable  in  front,  especially  on  the  right,  which  was  covered 
by  several  formidable  redoubts,  and  by  a  strong  interior  line. 
The  plan  of  attack  was  to  force  the  enemy's  centre,  and  turn 
their  right. 

The  left  wing  of  the  allies  was  directed  by  Sir  John  Hope, 
with  two  divisions  under  generals  Howard  and  Hay,  a  brigade 
under  lord  Aylmer,  and  two  of  Portuguese  infantry  under  gene- 
rals Wilson  and  Bradford.  The  centre  was  divided  into  two 
columns.  General  Charles  Alten  commanded  the  left  centre, 
which  was  formed  by  the  light  infantry  (his  own)  division,  and 
by  Longa's  corps  of  Spanish  infantry.  Marshal  Beresford  directed 
the  right  centre,  which  was  composed  of  the  3d,  4th,  and  7th 
divisions,  under  generals  Colville,  Cole,  and  the  Portuguese 
general  Le  Cor.  The  right  wing  of  the  army  consisted  of  the 
second  division,  under  general  Stewart ;  the  sixth,  under  gene- 
ral Clinton ;  the  Portuguese  division  of  general  Hamilton ;  and 
the  Spanish  division  of  Murillo.    This  wing  was  under  the 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  143 

conduct  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill.  The  Spanish  army  of  general 
Giron  was  in  reserve  behind  the  centre ;  and  the  cavalry  of  the 
army  appointed  to  support  these  operations  was  also  formed  in 
rear  of  the  centre,  under  Sir  Stapyllon  Cotton.  Soon  after  mid- 
night, on  the  morning  of  the  10th  of  November,  the  various 
columns  upon  the  right  wound  down  the  gloomy  passes  of  the 
Pyrenees  in  strict  silence,  lighted  by  the  moon.  Along  the 
whole  line  of  the  meditated  attacks,  the  columns  advanced  as 
close  to  the  enemy's  piquets  as  it  was  possible  to  do  without 
discovery.  These  halted,  and,  preserving  their  formation,  lay 
down  upon  the  ground  in  stillness,  waiting  for  the  break  of  day. 
At  earliest  dawn  tlie  battle  opened.  The  fourth  division  moved 
rapidly  against  a  strong  redoubt  in  front  of  the  village  of  Sarre, 
and  carried  it  with  very  little  loss.  The  village,  which  had  been 
barricaded  for  resistance,  was  immediately  abandoned  by  the 
enemy,  without  one  effort  to  save  it.  The  attack  on  La  Petite  la 
Rhune  was  made  at  the  same  moment  by  the  light  division. 
These  troops  immediately  rushed  over  the  line  of  the  retrench- 
ments, forcing  the  enemy  back,  and  driving  them  witii  such 
vigor  from  one  defence  to  another,  that  the  garrisons  in  tlie 
redoubts  lost  all  confidence,  abandoned  them  witliout  a  struggle, 
and  the  brow  of  La  Petite  la  Rhune  was  soon  crowned  by  a 
column  of  the  assailants.  The  advanced  posts  of  the  enemy's 
line  being  thus  vigorously  seized,  a  general  attack  was  made 
upon  the  fortified  heights  in  rear  of  Sarre.  The  divisions  of 
generals  Colville  and  Le  Cor  marched  steadily  upon  them,  co- 
vered by  their  light  infantry.  The  ascent  was  steep,  and  tlic 
wliole  face  of  it  was  covered  witli  abatis,  and  lines  of  intrench- 
ment  The  enemy  poured  a  heavy  fire  of  musketry  on  tlie  as- 
saulting columns,  but  they  would  not  be  denied,  and  pressed 
onwards  with  such  steady  resolution  that  the  enemy  gave  up 
their  ground  without  furtlier  contest,  and  retired  in  haste  and 
confusion  to  the  bridge  on  the  Nivellc.  On  this  range  of  heights 
only  one  redoubt  offered  any  serious  resistance.  Here  tlie  gar- 
rison, confiding  in  tlie  strength  of  a  jiost  wiiich  formed  part  of  a 
line  of  intrenchmcnts  on  very  diflicult  and  strong  ground  opposite 
Iji  Rhune,  held  their  ground  so  long,  that  as  the  light  division, 
having  bravely  forced  tlioir  way  over  nil  obstacles,  was  toruiing 
for  the  assault,  marshal  Rcresford  led  a  column  to  intercept  tlieir 
retreat,  and  they  were  taken  pris<iners:  a  fine  battalion  of  more 
than  five  hundred  men.  While  these  affairs  were  taking  jdace 
in  the  centre.  Sir  Rowland  Hill  advance<l  against  the  heights  of 
Ainliouc  in  echeilrins  of  divisions.  Tiint  of  general  Clinton  led. 
They  marched  directly  on  the  right  of  tlie  five  redoubts,  crossed 
the  Nivelle  by  a  ford,  and  steadily  ascending  the  position,  attacked 
the  troops  formed  at  that  jwint.  These  were  soon  bontcn,  and 
the  nearest  redoubt  abandoned  by  its  garrison.   The  sixth  division 


144  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

pursued  and  supported  general  Hamilton's  Portuguese  in  the 
attack  of  the  other  redoubts,  which  fell  without  resistance,  the 
garrisons  all  retiring  as  they  were  approached.  General  Stewart'3 
division  drove  the  enemy  from  a  parallel  ridge  in  the  rear,  de- 
fended by  a  strong  field-work.  Sir  Rowland  Hill  now  led  botfi 
divisions  on  Espelette,  when  the  enemy  abandoned  the  advanced 
works  which  they  still  held  in  front  of  Ainhoue,  and  retreated 
with  all  haste  towards  Cambo. 

By  these  various  and  able  movements,  and  by  the  intrepidity 
and  success  of  the  several  attacks,  the  allies  were  established  in 
rear  of  the  enemy's  original  position,  and  had  driven  back  their 
centre  upon  their  right.  The  French  now  concentrated  a  large 
force  on  the  heights  above  St.  Pe  and  Ascain,  and  drew  up  in 
battle  order.  Against  these  troops  immediate  dispositions  were 
made.  The  third,  seventh,  and  sixth  divisions  were  directed  to 
advance  upon  this  position,  marching,  two  divisions  on  the  left, 
and  one  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Nivelle.  The  enemy  defended 
this  ground  for  a  short  time  with  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery  and 
musketry,  but  as  soon  as  the  allied  columns  closed  upon  them 
they  retired  from  it  in  disorder.  It  was  now  sunset.  By  these 
successes  the  allies  were  established  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy'8 
right,  and  with  the  approach  of  night  the  firing  ceased. 

Marshal  Soult  was  thus  manceuvred  out  of  this  long-prepared 
position,  and  his  troops  were  at  all  points  beaten.  The  French 
army  had  mustered  near  70,000  combatants.  They  were  placed 
m  strong  ground ;  they  were  covered  by  intrenchments,  and 
supported  by  redoubts ;  they  had  all  possible  advantage  which  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  all  the  roads  and  paths  of  communication 
could  give  ;  and  they  were  contending  with  an  enemy  on  their 
own  frontier,  to  save  their  own  country  from  invasion.  Yet  they 
suffered  themselves  to  be  dislodged  from  every  point  that  was 
assailed,  with  an  absence  of  spirit  which  astonished  their  oppo- 
nents. The  loss  of  the  allies  on  this  proud  and  memorable  day 
did  not  exceed  2500  killed  and  wounded.  Fifty  guns  and  1500 
prisoners  were  taken  upon  the  field. 

Under  cover  of  the  night,  marshal  Soult  withdrew  from  that 
impregnable  part  of  his  position  which  it  was  no  longer  jwssible 
for  him  to  hold,  and  from  which  he  could  not  have  effected  his 
retreat  by  daylight  without  loss  and  danger.  Thus  the  allies 
were  left  masters  of  the  whole  line. 

The  French  now  concentrated  in  front  of  Bayonne,  where  an 
intrenched  camp  had  been  prepared  to  receive  them.  Lord  Wel- 
lington immediately  took  up  a  position  within  two  miles  of  the 
enemy,  and  strengthened  it  witli  a  line  of  defensive  outposts. 
His  left  rested  upon  the  sea,  his  right  extended  to  Cambo,  and 
his  troops  were  disposed  in  cantonments  between  the  Nivelle 
and  the  coast.   As  the  weather  was  cold  and  wet,  and  the  heavy 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  145 

rains  had  materially  injured  the  roads,  no  furtlier  operations 
could  be  undertaken  at  Uiis  moment,  and  the  army  remained  quiet 
and  under  cover  for  nearly  a  month.  This  was  a  welcome  com- 
fort and  a  necessary  refreshment  to  the  soldiers,  who  had  endured 
for  many  weeks  much  hardship  in  their  mountain  bivouacs. 
During  this  period  of  repose,  the  space  occupied  by  the  allies 
between  the  sea  and  tlie  Nive  was  very  confined,  while  the 
enemy  guarding  the  right  bank  of  that  river,  and  holding  St  Jean 
Pied  de  Port  with  a  strong  detachment,  patroled  and  foraged 
over  a  district  whicli  afforded  large  supplies.  As  soon,  therefore, 
as  the  necessary  preparations  could  be  completed,  lord  Welling- 
ton suddenly  broke  up  and  crossed  the  Nive. 

Three  hours  before  daylight,  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  of 
December,  the  columns  which  had  any  ground  to  move  over, 
preparatory  to  their  formation  for  the  advance,  stood  to  their 
arms  and  mj^rched  to  their  respective  points  of  assembly.  At 
dawn,  the  whole  army  was  put  in  motion. 

The  position  of  Soult  was  admirably  chosen.  Bayonne  is  situ- 
ated at  the  junction  of  the  Nive  with  the  Adour,  about  four  miles 
from  tlie  sea.  The  Adour  is  a  broad  navigable  river,  subject  to 
the  action  of  the  tide :  the  Nive  is  a  mountain  stream  of  no 
breadth,  but,  as  it  approaches  Bayonne,  rapid,  and  so  deep  tiiat  it 
cannot  there  be  forded.  The  town  is  strongly  fortified,  and  has 
bridges  over  both  these  rivers.  On  the  left  bank  of  the  Adour, 
a  strong  bastioned  line,  of  the  trace  of  Vauban,  extends  in  a  curve, 
from  the  river  above  to  the  river  below  the  town,  and  incloses  a 
large  suburb. 

At  some  distance  in  front  of  this  line,  and  nearly  parallel  to 
the  ramparts,  was  tlie  intrenched  camp.  Tlie  French  right  rested 
upon  the  Adour,  and  was  covered  in  front  by  a  morass.  The 
centre  extended  from  this  morass  or  inundation,  upon  wliich  it 
rested  its  right,  to  the  river  Nive.  The  enemy's  left  wing  was 
posted  between  the  Nive  and  the  Adour ;  guarding  tiie  former 
river,  and  resting  upon  the  latter.  The  citadel  of  Bayonne 
stands  upon  the  right  of  the  Adour,  and  commands  the  city  and 
tlie  anchorage.  The  town  is  only  to  be  approached,  on  the 
Spanish  side,  by  two  good  roatls, — that  from  St.  Jean  dc  Imz  on 
the  coast,  and  that  from  St.  Jean  Pied  de  Port  under  the  moun- 
tains. A  division  of  the  army  of  Catalonia  was  stutionetl  at  St 
Jean  Pied  de  Port,  and  with  this  corps  Soult  communicated  by 
strong  patroles  of  cavalry.  St  Jean  de  l.uz  was  the  British  head- 
quarters, and  the  main  depot  of  the  allies.  All  the  cross  roads 
leading  to  Bayonne  are  bad,  and  in  winter  impracticable  for 
artillery.  The  immediate  object  of  lord  Wellington  was  to  extend 
the  cantonments  of  the  allied  army,  to  drive  the  enemy's  ad- 
vanced posta  back  upon  their  camp,  and  to  seize  some  of  tlie 
strong  ground  which  tliey  now  occupied  between  tlie  Nive  and 

VouII.  N 


146  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

the  Adour.  Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  December, 
the  left  wing,  under  Sir  John  Hope,  advanced  by  the  great  road 
leading  from  St.  Jean  de  Luz,  drove  back  the  enemy's  advanced 
posts,  and,  with  very  little  opposition,  gained  the  heights  above 
their  intrenched  camp  before  noon,  and  reconnoitred  it  at  leisure. 
Sir  Rowland  Hill,  with  the  right  of  the  army,  passed  the  Nive 
by  a  deep  ford  above  Cambo.  At  the  same  time  general  Clinton 
crossed  that  river  by  a  bridge  of  boats  at  Ustariz ;  and  the  French, 
in  front  of  Hill,  fearing  they  should  be  cut  off  by  Clinton,  retired 
hastily  upon  Bayonne.  They  attempted  a  short  stand  at  Ville 
Franche,  but,  being  attacked  by  the  light  infantry  of  Clinton's 
division,  continued  their  retreat.  The  day  was  now  at  its  close. 
As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  the  enemy  drew  all  his  posts  into  the 
position  of  Bayonne.  Sir  John  Hope  led  back  the  left  wing  to 
their  cantonments,  and  the  6th  division  recrossed  to  the  left 
bank  of  the  Nive,  maintaining  their  communication  with  Sir 
Rowland  Hill.  That  general  established  his  corps,  on  the  10th, 
in  a  position  the  left  of  which  rested  on  the  heights  of  Ville 
Franche  above  the  Nive,  the  centre  at  the  village  of  St  Pierre 
on  the  great  road  to  St.  Jean  Pied  de  Port,  and  the  right  on  the 
Adour.  Tlie  Spanish  division  of  Murillo,  and  a  brigade  of  cav- 
alry, had  been  detached  in  observation ;  the  former  to  Urcuray, 
the  latter  to  Hasparren.  The  wliole  of  the  allied  forces  were 
now  disposed  on  the  arc  of  a  half  circle.  Their  communications 
were  either  by  cross  and  bad  roads,  or  by  none  other  than  they 
could  make  at  need,  and  were  intersected  by  a  river.  The  po- 
sition of  the  French  was  central,  with  short  easy  communications, 
and  was  supported  by  the  guns  of  a  fortress.  Therefore  Soult 
could  attack  the  allies  with  superior  forces  at  any  point  he  chose, 
before  they  could  assemble  equal  numbers;  and,  if  he  tailed  to 
make  an  impression,  his  retreat  was  secure,  and  he  could  not  be 
molested  under  the  walls  of  Bayonne.  Availing  himself  of  this 
advantage,  Soult  led  out  his  main  body  on  the  morning  of  the 
10th,  and  marched  by  the  road  of  St.  Jean  de  Luz  upon  the  left 
wing  of  the  army.  Sir  John  Hope  had  placed  the  oth  division, 
under  general  Hay,  on  the  strong  ridge  of  Barouillet,  with  the 
Portuguese  brigade  of  general  Campbell  on  a  narrower  ridge 
in  front.  The  light  division  was  about  two  miles  on  tlie  right  of 
Barouillet  at  Arcangues,  where  the  ground  was  high  and  diffi- 
cult. No  defensive  connexion  existed  between  the  two  divisions. 
The  position  of  each  was  strong  in  itself,  and  any  attempt  to 
penetrate  between  was  hazardous. 

The  French  marched  rapidly  forwards.  One  column  attacked 
the  Portuguese  brigade,  and  forced  it  to  fall  back  on  the  5th 
division :  another  made  a  vigorous  assault  upon  the  light  division 
in  such  strength  that  the  allies  took  post  within  their  intrench- 
raents.     The  enemy  were  now  between  the  two  divisions  in 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  147 

considerable  force,  and  directed  a  weighty  and  violent  attack  on 
the  right  of  the  5th  division,  but  they  were  firmly  met;  and 
this  brave  division,  attacked  both  in  front  and  flank,  and  sustain- 
ing a  heavy  loss  of  men,  resolutely  kept  its  ground.  Neverthe- 
less the  enemy  did,  at  one  period  of  the  combat,  force  their  way 
through  a  wood  and  orchard  on  the  right  of  Barouillct,  in  such 
numbers  as  to  overpower  a  body  of  the  brave  defenders,  and  to 
penetrate  beyond  the  front  of  the  position ;  but  the  success  was 
momentary.  The  admirable  conduct  of  a  Portuguese  battalion 
and  of  the  gallant  9th  British,  who  were  skilfully  directed  upon 
their  rear,  compelled  them  to  retreat  with  a  severe  loss  in  killed 
and  prisoners.  A  fresh  column  advanced  again,  and  the  attacks 
upon  the  5th  division  were  renewed  with  spirit :  but  the  5th 
division,  assisted  by  a  brigade  of  guards,  which  now  joined  them, 
repulsed  every  assault ;  and,  as  night  came  on,  tlie  enemy  with- 
drew.* 

Their  efforts  against  the  defences  of  the  light  division  were 
many  and  obstinate ;  but  they  suffered  a  severe  los.s,  and  made 
no  impression  ujwn  the  intrenchments  of  those  steady  soldiers. 

The  first  division  now  relieved  the  fifth  at  Barouillct;  and  tlie 
fourth  and  seventh  were  so  posted  in  reserve,  as  to  be  ready  to 
support  either  point  on  the  morrow. 

On  the  11th  of  December,  Sir  John  Hope,  judging  from  the 
appearance  and  movements  of  the  enemy  that  a  heavy  attack 
was  meditated  against  the  light  division  at  Arcangues,  moved  a 
part  of  his  corps  to  the  right,  to  support  that  position.  Soult 
now  suddenly  changed  the  direction  of  his  columns,  and  moved 
rapidly  upon  Barouillet ;  but  the  troojjs  at  that  point  stood  readily 
to  their  arms;  and  Sir  John  Hope  instantly  brought  back  the 
detached  column.  The  enemy  molested  the  march  of  tliis  body, 
and  advanced  towards  the  left  wing  :  but  their  attack  was  feeble, 
and  soon  repulsed. 

Upon  the  12tli  they  still  showed  themselves  in  great  force  on 
the  ridge  in  the  firont  of  the  left  wing ;  and  in  the  afternoon 
there  was  a  hot  skirmish  Iwtween  the  light  trooj)s  and  piquets; 
but  no  serious  movement  of  attack  was  ma<le  throughout  the  day. 

As  it  was  most  iinixirtant  to  the  enemy,  if  jKissiblc,  to  pene- 
trate to  St.  Jean  de  I.uz,  and  as  he  had  made  such  bold  and  per- 
severing attacks  upon  the  lOth,  and  still  maintained  himstdf  in 
the  same  hostile  attitude  nnd  force  in  front  of  the  left  wing,  it 
was  neces.'jary  to  keep  a  great  portion  of  the  allied  troojw  closed 
towards  the  left.  But  lord  Wellington^  apprehensive  that  he 
miglit  suddenly  change  his  attack,  nnd  tlirow  the  whole  weight 
of  nis  disposable  force  on  the  corps  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  had 

•  Sir  Julin  llii|M!  Iind  a  rruiarknlili-  f>»cipi!  in  thifi  combat.  Iliti  hnt  was 
titriick  by  nhnl  four  tiiiicn;  bui  cliilli''*  wcro  nbnt  Uiroiifih  in  ninny  (ilaccs;  two 
borses  were  wnundcd  uw^r  lum  ;  f\i«l  he  was  Jul  both  uii  the  rhuulder  and  hf. 


148  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

given  that  officer  full  discretion  to  order  the  sixth  division  across 
the  Nive,  whenever  he  might  require  their  services,  without  any 
reference  to  the  commander  of  the  corps  in  the  centre.  More- 
over, with  a  vigilant  suspicion  of  his  adversary's  intentions,  very 
early  in  the  morning  of  the  13th,  orders  were  given  for  the  fourth 
division,  and  a  part  of  the  third,  to  be  moved  towards  the  right, 
and  held  in  readiness  to  cross  the  Nive  if  required. 

These  precautions  were  not  without  reason ;  for,  during  the 
night  of  the  12th,  Soult  passed  through  Bayonne  with  his  main 
force ;  and,  at  daylight  on  the  13th,  he  poured  out  of  iiis  in- 
trenchments  30,000  men,  and  directed  them  in  massive  colunms 
of  attack  upon  the  position  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill. 

The  corps  of  Sir  Rowland  mustered  about  13,000  British  and 
Portuguese.  The  brigade  of  general  Byng  was  on  the  right,  in 
front  of  the  village  of  Vieu.x  Monguerre.  It  was  drawn  up  on 
high  ground,  with  tlie  Adour  upon  its  right,  and  several  mill- 
dams  on  its  left.  The  brigade  of  general  Pringle  was  posted 
upon  the  ridge  of  Ville  Tranche,  on  the  left  flank ;  the  river 
Nive  ran  immediately  below  his  left,  and  in  the  valley  to  his 
right  were  also  several  mill-dams. 

The  brigade  of  general  Barnes,  and  the  Portuguese  brigade 
of  general  Ash  worth,  occupied  a  range  of  heights  opposite  to  the 
village  of  St.  Pierre.  A  reserve  of  two  Portuguese  brigades 
was  formed  in  rear  of  Ville  Franohe. 

Soult's  plan  of  attack  was  scx)n  developed.  He  marched  in 
full  strength  upon  the  centre,  counting,  by  the  united  assault  of 
superior  numbers,  to  win  the  ridge  of  St.  Pierre,  carry  the  great 
road  to  St.  Jean  Pied  de  Port,  and  break  through  the  position. 

The  arrangements  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill  to  repulse  this  power- 
ful attack  were  instantly  and  ably  made.  He  directed  general 
Byng  to  leave  one  battalion  at  Vieux  Monguerre,  and  hasten 
with  his  brigade  to  the  right  of  the  centre.  A  Portuguese  bri- 
gade from  Ville  Franche  was  ordered  up  on  the  left  of  the  centre ; 
and  he  sent  an  aid-de-camp  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  desiring  liim 
to  move  the  sixth  division  to  his  support.  While  these  various 
movements  were  in  progress,  the  French  columns  arrived  upon 
the  slopes  which  led  up  to  the  centre,  and  hastened  up,  at  a 
bold  rapid  pace,  in  the  firmest  order.  Disregarding  the  crush- 
ing bullets  of  a  well-served  artillery,  the  grape,  and  the  musketry 
of  the  light  troops,  they  pressed  onwards  in  the  spirit  and  with 
the  bearing  of  tiieir  best  days.  They  established  themselves  on 
tlie  advance  of  the  jwsition,  and  were  gaining  ground  on  their 
brave  opponents  by  the  force  and  weight  of  numbers,  when  the 
brigades  marching  from  the  flanks  arrived  at  the  very  moment 
they  weie  needed,  and  joined  battle.  The  xiombat  was  long, 
bloody,  and  stubborn.  The  attacks,  often  repulsed,  were  as  often 
renewed  with  fury.     The  French  fought  with  hope,  with  a 


THE  DUKE  OF  VVELLlVGTORr.  140 

knowledge  of  their  strength,  and  with  s  city  of  France  looking 
on.  They  struggled  hard  for  victory;  but  they  were  finally 
beaten,  and  driven  back  with  a  terrible  slaaghter.  The  regi- 
ments of  general  Barnes's  brigade  behaved  nobly ;  and  the  Por- 
tuguese troops  were  brave  and  true. 

Ujxjn  the  right  flank,  the  enemy  at  one  time  during  the  con- 
test forced  back  the  battalion  and  light  companies  from  Vieux 
Monguerre;  but  Sir  Rowland  Ilill  ordered  them  to  recover  it; 
and  the  battalion  (the  Buffs)  rushed  instantly  upon  tlie  village, 
and  drove  out  the  enemy.  The  left,  under  general  Pringle,  was 
no  further  engaged  than  by  a  lively  fire  of  the  French  light  in- 
fantry, and  by  cannonade;  and  the  6th  division  was  not  up  till 
the  day  was  already  won. 

Soult,  having  exhausted  all  his  efforts  against  Sir  Rowland 
in  vain,  now,  upon  all  sides,  drew  off;  but  his  conqueror  pursued 
him  on  the  open  ground,  and  did  considerable  execution  on  his 
retiring  columns.  However,  he  attempted  to  make  a  stand,  in 
great  force,  upon  favorable  ground  in  front  of  his  intrenchments, 
and  occupied  a  hill  upon  his  left  in  great  strength.  This  hill 
was  most  gallantly  assaulted  and  carried  by  the  brigade  of  gen- 
eral Byng,  who  led  up  in  person,  under  a  heavy  fire  of  artillerj' 
and  mu.sketry.  The  French  infantry  were  beaten  from  tiie  posi- 
tion, and  two  guns  were  taken.  They  made  a  stout  effort  to  re- 
take this  hill,  but  they  were  again  driven  down  ;  and  a  brigade 
of  Portuguese  being  ordered  to  reinforce  Byng,  they  made  no 
further  attempt  on  the  allies. 

This  glorious  battle  was  fought  and  won  by  Sir  Rowland  IliU 
with  his  own  corps,  alone  and  unassisted.  I^rd  Wellington 
could  not  reach  the  field  till  the  victory  was  achieved,  and  as  he 
rode  up  to  his  successful  general  he  shook  him  heartily  by  the 
hand,  with  the  frank  remark,  "Hill,  the  day's  your  own."  He 
was  exceedingly  delighted  with  Sir  Rowland's  calm  and  beauti- 
ful conduct  of  this  action,  and  with  the  intrepid  and  resolute  be- 
havior of  the  troops ;  and,  as  lie  examined  the  ground,  he  ob- 
served that  he  had  never  yet  seen  so  many  dead  Frenchmen  in 
60  small  a  space ;  a  fact  which  attests  the  stern  severity  of  this 
unequalled  contest. 

The  loss  of  the  Frencii,  from  the  9th  to  the  13lh  of  Deccm- 
l)er  inclusive,  was  admitted,  in  their  own  returns,  to  exceed  i;WO 
killed,  and  4H(K)  wounded.  That  of  the  allies  was  also  heavy, 
and  amounted  to  nearly  r)(KX)  killed  and  wounded. 

U|X)n  the  lltii,  the'  day  after  Sir  John  Hope's  well-fought 
combat  on  the  lefl,  two  Ixittalions  of  Na.-^sjiu  light  infantry  came 
over  to  the  allies,  and  stated  their  desire  to  be  sent  to  their  own 
country,  which  they  knew  was  now  freed  from  the  domination 
of  Buonaparte.  Alarshal  Soult  having  in  these  operations  made 
a  fair  trial  of  his  strength  in  tiie  field,  and  been  deci.><ively  de- 
N2 


150  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

feated  in  every  attack  upon  the  allies,  withdrew  the  main  body 
of  his  force  from  Bayonne  and  marched  up  the  right  bank  of  the 
Adour  towards  Dax,  which  he  now  made  his  principal  depot 
The  weather  became  very  wet,  inclement,  and  wintry  ;  -the  low 
grounds  were  all  flooded  ;  the  roads  were  deep  and  miry ;  no 
further  offensive  operations  could  then  be  undertaken,  and  lord 
Wellington  placed  his  troops  in  cantonments  and  gave  them  rest. 
The  British  advanced  posts  were  now  clase  to  those  of  the 
enemy ;  the  right  of  the  allied  army  rested  ujwn  the  Adour,  the 
left  upon  the  sea :  in  this  position  they  remained  quiet  till  the 
beginning  of  February,  plentifully  supplied  and  little  molested. 

The  state  of  affairs  in  France  was  now  wonderfidly  changed 
from  its  proud  attitude  of  superiority  and  defiance  two  years  be- 
fore. In  every  quarter  of  Europe  the  French  armies  had  been 
beaten.  The  loss  of  the  battle  of  I^eipzig,  and  the  utter  destruc- 
tion of  their  forces  on  that  field ;  the  defection  of  Saxony  and 
Bavaria;  and  the  decided  course  of  Austria,  had  brought  the 
armies  of  Russia,  Prussia,  and  Austria,  to  the  Rhine.  Buona- 
parte, beset  on  every  side  by  enemies  and  by  dangers,  was  now 
calling  upon  the  French  nation  for  more  sacrifices  and  for  im- 
possible exertions.  A  decree  had  passed  his  miserable  senate  to 
levy  300,000  men,  and  to  double  all  the  public  contributions : 
but  it  could  not,  as  he  well  knew,  take  eflect  to  so  vast  an  ex- 
tent. However,  some  of  the  mothers  of  France  had  still  sons  to 
be  offered  up  on  the  altar  of  his  ambition,  and  some  of  her  in- 
dustrious citizens  had  yet  money  of  which  tliey  could  be  robbed ; 
therefore,  much  was  done  to  recruit  his  ranks,  and  something  to 
replenish  his  coffers.  But  the  country  groaned  under  his  iron 
rule,  and  pined  for  deliverance  and  peace ;  while,  tiierefore,  lord 
Wellington  wintered  in  the  south  of  France,  he  found  the  in- 
habitants not  only  peaceable  and  unopposing,  but  grateful  for  the 
protection  of  his  discipline,  and  for  the  strict  honor  with  which 
ajl  supplies  and  services  were  paid  fur  and  rewarded.  They  did 
not  entertain  any  elevated  or  patriotic  attachment  to  the  ruler  of 
France ;  they  regarded  the  war  as  his  and  not  the  war  of  the 
nation.  Hence,  thougli  they  had  been  encouraged  to  take  up 
arras  against  the  troops  under  lord  Wellington,  and  to  harass  his 
posts  with  a  guerilla  warfiire,  such  hostility  was  only  shown  at 
first  and  in  a  very  few  instances:  they  were  in  general  well 
disposed,  and  in  good  liumor  with  the  allies,  leaving  their  own 
army,  wliom  they  at  once  feared  and  hated,  to  carry  on  the  war. 

At  this  time,  while  Buonaparte  was  busied  in  trying  to  arrest 
tlie  progress  of  the  allied  nations  in  the  north,  by  the  crafty  arts 
of  diplomacy,  he  attempted  to  conclude  a  secret  treaty  with  his 
prisoner  Ferdinand  VII.  By  this  it  was  stipulated,  that  Spain 
fihould  be  evacuated  by  the  troops  of  France,  as  well  as  of  Eng- 
land and  Portugal ;  and  that  all  prisoners  should  be  given  up, 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  151 

whether  in  the  power  of  England  or  Spain.  Thus  he  would 
have  gained  no  small  accession  of  strength  by  recovering  all  the 
troops  left  in  garrison  in  Catalonia  and  Valencia,  all  the  prisoners 
made  during  the  war,  and  by  obtaining  tiie  immediate  service 
of  marslial  Suchet's  corps,  on  the  soil  of  France. 

Ferdinand  wrote  to  the  Spanish  government  by  the  duke  Son 
Carlos,  communicating  this  treaty,  and  desiring  its  immediate 
ratification. 

In  a  reply,  expressive  of  respect  and  attachment,  the  govern- 
ment inclosed  a  copy  of  the  decree  of  the  extraordinary  general 
cortes  of  the  Ist  of  January,  1811,  which  decided,  that  no  act 
of  his  majesty,  while  under  restraint,  should  be  binding  on  the 
nation. 

Ferdinand,  consulting  ill  his  dignity  and  honor,  wrote  again  to 
Madrid  by  don  Josepii  Palafox,  and  again  urged  the  government 
to  ratify  tliis  treaty ;  but  the  regency  evaded  the  request,  and  in- 
formed him,  that  an  ambassador  had  been  sent,  in  his  majesty's 
name,  to  a  congress  of  the  great  European  powers  then  sitting, 
to  treat  for  a  general  peiA;e.  These  unworthy  efforts  on  tlie 
part  of  Ferdinand,  to  induce  his  government  to  entertain  the  in- 
sidious pro{X)sal  of  Buonaj)artc,  were  made  in  the  months  of  De- 
cember and  January.  Aleanwliile,  on  the  1st  of  this  same  Jan- 
uary, the  emperors  of  Austria  and  of  Russia,  and  the  king  of 
Prussia,  passed  the  Rhine  at  the  head  of  very  powerful  armies, 
to  compel  Buonaparte  to  consent  to  the  terms  of  a  general  peace, 
as  by  them  proposed.  They  disclaimed,  for  themselves,  all  ob- 
jects of  conquest  or  aggrandizement;  they  pledijed  themselves 
not  to  interfere  in  the  mtcrnal  concerns  of  the  i  rench  nation  ; 
but  they  insisted  that  France  should  be  content  with  her  old  and 
natural  boundaries,  the  Rhine,  the  Alps,  and  the  Pyrenees. 
Maddened  by  these  just  demands,  the  plain  consequences  of 
those  wars  of  aggression  which  he  had  waged  hitherto  with  suc- 
cess, but  which  had  now  brouglit  forth  the  bitter  fruits  of  reverse 
and  disgrace,  Napoleon  called  upon  the  French  to  make  his 
cause  tiie  cause  of  the  nation.  AH  classes,  iiowever,  e.xcepting 
the  pensioned  veterans,  the  military  in  the  camps,  and  the  em- 
ployes of  the  imperial  government,  manifested  an  utter  indif- 
ference to  Iiis  appeal ;  nor,  though  hostile  armies  were  upon  the 
soil  of  France,  could  he  arouse  a  spirit  of  national  resistance. 
Moreover,  those  who,  in  their  secret  hearts,  iiad  long  clierishcd 
an  attachment  to  tiie  exiled  house  of  Bourbon,  now  lifted  their 
voice  and  gave  utterance  to  tlieir  hopes;  while  the  republicans 
of  the  kingdom  reminded  the  falling  emperor  that,  as  he  had 
trampled  on  personal  freedom,  public  rights,  and  private  prop- 
erty, during  a  violent  and  warlike  reign,  lie  had  no  claim  upon 
the  exertions  or  even  Uie  allegiance  of  the  people.  Upon  all 
•idea  he  heard  tlie  language  of  a  surly  resentment,  or  lie  en- 


152  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  Of 

countered  the  sluggishness  of  a  sullen  and  immovable  apathy  : 
therefore  he  sent  an  ambassador  to  Chatillon  to  assist  at  the  con- 
ferences for  peace;  and  that  he  might  negotiate  with  better 
grace,  he  prepared  to  take  the  field. 

The  last  offensive  effort  of  tlie  French  troops  in  Spain  was 
made  in  December.  During  this  movement  the  town  of  Mar- 
torelli  was  plundered  by  the  corps  of  marshal  Suchet.  After 
this,  ten  thousand  of  the  best  troops  quitted  Catalonia,  and  they 
entered  France  about  the  close  of  January. 

We  turn   again  to  consider  the   operations  near   Bayonne. 
When  Soult  had  sustained  his  last  defeat  on  the  13th  of  Decem- 
ber, he  disposed  the  centre  of  his  army  along  the  right  bank  of 
tlie  Adour  to  Port  de  Lanne ;  distributed  his  left  along  the  right 
of  the  Bidouse  river  to  St.  Palais ;  posted  two  divisions  of  cavalry 
cm  the  left  of  that  place,  and  occupied  St.  Jean  Pied  de  Port 
with  a  weak  division  of  regulars  and  a  body  of  national  guards. 
The  right  wing  of  the  enemy  still  held  the  intrenchments  under 
the  guns  of  Bayonne.     Count  Reille  commanded  the  French 
right,  count  d'Erlon  the  centre,  general  Clausel  the  left,  and 
general  Harispe  the  detached  division  at  St.  Jean  Pied  de  Port. 
This  last  officer,  who  was  a  native  of  the  province,  and  popular 
with  the  inhabitants,  had  been  sent  for  from  Catalonia,  and  quit- 
ted his  charge  there  to  take  this  command  ;  but  he  found  it  im- 
possible to  organize  any  thing  like  a  hearty  resistance  to  the 
allies  among  the  Basques.   The  army  of  Soult  contained  so  large 
a  proportion  of  veteran  soldiers,  that,  at  the  end  of  January,  Na- 
poleon called  away  two  divisions  of  infantry,  and  one  of  dragoons, 
to  take  the  field  under  himself,  supplying  their  place  by  levies 
of  the  latest  organization  ;  therefore,  all  the  disjwsitions  of  Soult 
were  defensive.     The  right  of  the  Adour  from  Bayonne  to  Port 
Lanne,  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles,  was  covered  with  redoubts, 
and  armed  with  cannon ;  and  a  bridge  was  laid  down  at  Port 
Lanne  with  a  strong  tete-de-pont.     To  defend  the  Pau  he  re- 
trenched Hastingues,  and  formed  a  tete-de-pont  at  Peyrel)orade. 
He  caused  the  passages  over  the  Bidouse,  at  Guiche,  Bidache, 
and  Came,  to  be  secured  by  like  defences.     The  v.-orks  at  St. 
Jean  Pied  de  Port  and  Navarreins  were  also  strengthened, — his 
principal  depots  of  provisions  and  stores  were  at  Port  de  Lanne, 
and  higher  up  at  Dax,  which  last  place  was  retrenched.     These 
various  labors  and  preparations  had  employed  the  French  from 
the  middle  of  December  to  the  close  of  January.     During  this 
season,  lord  Wellington  was  busily  engaged  in  maturing   his 
preparations  to  resume  the  offensive.   The  best  speculations  con- 
cerning his  plans  had  commonly  proved  mistaken;  many  idle 
surmises  were,  as  usual,  made,  but,  as  heretofore,  both  in  his 
own  camp  and  that  of  the  enemy,  no  suspicion  existed  of  the 
bold  conception  which  he  was  suddenly  to  carry  into  execution. 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELUNGTON.  1 53 

About  the  middle  of  February,  as  the  weather  cleared  up,  and 
the  cross  roads  became  practicable,  lord  Wellington  commenced 
a  series  of  manoeuvres  to  draw  Soult  from  his  line  of  defence  on 
the  Adour.  He  bejran  by  driving  the  enemy  from  the  vicinity 
of  St  Palais.  With  this  view.  Sir  Rowland  Hill  marched 
against  Ilarispe.  That  general,  leaving  a  garrison  in  St.  Jean 
Pied  de  Port,  retired  with  his  division  upon  Hellete;  but  from 
tliis  position  Sir  Rowland  soon  dislodged  him.  Harispe  took  up 
ground  for  the  nigiit  on  the  hills  above  Meharin,  and  the  next 
morning  fell  back  to  a  very  strong  position  to  the  right  of  Garris, 
where  another  body  of  the  enemy  was  already  posted. 

As  this  position  did  not  cover  the  road  through  Garris,  by 
which  their  communication  with  the  bridge  of  St.  Palais  might 
possibly  be  cut  off,  lord  Wellington  made  instant  dispositions  to 
attack  them.  It  was  already  evening,  and  he  had  only  one  di- 
vision up,  and  a  body  of  Spaniards,  but  the  opportunity  was  too 
favorable  to  be  lost;  therefore  he  directed  Murillo  with  his 
Spanish  division  to  hasten  on  and  occupy  St.  Palais,  while  he  re- 
solved to  assault  the  enemy  in  front  with  the  second  division 
under  Sir  William  Stewart.  These  troops  carried  the  heights 
with  their  wonted  intrepidity  and  ardor;  but  the  enemy  made 
many  brave  eflbrts  to  recover  them.  These  attempts  were  gal- 
lantly continued  after  it  was  quite  dark ;  and  the  fire  was  deliv- 
ereJ  lace  to  fact:  ut  close  quarters,  and  ninny  of  the  enemy  were 
bayoneted  on  the  ground.  At  last,  finding  they  could  make  no 
impression  ujron  the  firmness  of  tiie  defenders,  they  retired  and 
passed  the  bridge  at  St  Palais  before  the  Spaniards  had  occu- 
pied tliat  important  post. 

The  next  day,  Sir  Rowland  Hill  pursued  Harisjje,  and  found 
him  strongly  reinforced  and  well  posted  behind  tlie  Gave  de 
Mauleon.  The  bridge  at  Navarette  was  destroyed,  but  a  regi- 
ment of  the  second  division  passed  the  stream  by  a  ford,  under 
cover  of  artillery,  and  quickly  drove  the  enemy  from  that  village. 
Their  advanced  post  being  thus  forced,  Harispe  led  off  his  main 
body  to  the  rear,  and  in  the  night  pa.ssed  the  Gave  d'Oleron. 

The  centie  of  tlie  army  made  a  corresponding  movement  on 
tlie  15th  to  tin;  Bidousc  river;  but  the  sixth  and  eightli  divisions 
were  lefl  between  tiie  Nive  and  the  Adour,  to  watch  the  enemy 
in  Bay  on  no. 

As  soon  as  marshal  Soult  learned  that  the  right  of  the  allies 
was  concentrated  behind  the  Gave  de  Mauleon,  and  foimd  their 
centre  on  the  Bidouse,  he  destroyetl  the  bridges  on  the  Adour, 
collecte<l  the  greater  part  of  his  forces  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Sauvotorre,  and  lefl  Bayonne  to  the  protection  of  its  garrison. 

It  was  a  part  of  lonl  Wellington's  general  plan  thnt  Bayoimo 
should  1)0  invested  on  tlie  2'\t\,  according  to  the  arrangements 
lie  had  niude  with  Sir  John  Hojh;  and  admiral  Penrose.    He  had 


154  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

selected  the  citadel  for  his  point  of  attack ;  had  determined  to 
force  the  passage  of  the  Adour ;  and,  about  two  miles  and  a  half 
below  the  town,  to  fix  a  bridge  on  the  river. 

At  the  point  selected,  the  Adour  is  300  yards  broad,  and  a 
bend  in  its  course  conceals  it,  in  part,  from  the  view  of  the  gar- 
rison of  Bayonne.  The  current  is  rapid,  the  tide  strong,  and 
there  is  often  a  heavy  swell  from  the  sea,  so  that  no  ordinary 
bridge  apparatus  could  be  trusted.  Lord  Wellington,  therefore, 
decided  to  substitute  for  pontoons  or  boats,  decked  vessels  of  from 
thirty  to  fifty  tons  burden.  Of  such  vessels,  called  chasse  ma- 
rees,  many  were  found  in  the  ports  of  St.  Jean  de  Luz,  Passages, 
and  Socoa.  These  were  hired,  and  collected  at  Socoa.  Mate- 
rials were  also  procured  for  a  good  bridge,  a  portion  of  which 
each  was  to  carry ;  and  spars  were  obtained  to  form  a  flexible 
boom,  which  might  protect  the  bridge  from  any  vessels  floated 
down  the  stream  to  destroy  it. 

On  the  evening  of  the  22d  of  February,  the  flotilla  put  to  sea 
from  Socoa,  protected  by  admiral  Penrose  with  the  Porcupine 
frigate,  Lyra  brig,  and  five  gun-boats. 

Captain  O'Reilly  of  the  royal  navy  had  the  immediate  com- 
mand of  the  flotilla,  and  the  superintendence  of  all  the  nautical 
arrangements  necessary  to  the  successful  accomplishment  of  this 
diflacult  undertaking;  the  construction  and  fixing  down  the 
bridge  apparatus  was,  of  course,  the  duty  of  the  engineer  ofliceris 
employed.  To  insure  the  safe  entrance  of  the  vessels  into  the 
Adour,  and  their  unmolested  anchorage  across  the  stream,  it  was 
concerted  that  some  troops  should  be  passed  over  in  the  night  by 
rafls  made  of  the  pontoons,  and  should  establish  a  post  on  the 
right  bank. 

At  one  in  the  morning  of  the  23d,  Sir  John  Hope  marched 
from  his  cantonments,  to  direct  and  support  this  movement 
General  Stopford's  brigade  of  guards  reached  their  point  upon 
the  bank  of  the  Adour  at  midnight,  having  moved  at  an  earlier 
liour.  The  pontoons  were  unavoidably  delayed  by  the  depth  and 
softness  of  the  sandy  road,  therefore  the  design  of  sending  a  de- 
tachment across  the  river  before  dayliglit  was  defeated.  How- 
ever, the  attention  of  the  garrison  was  entirely  occupied  by  the 
lively  demonstrations  upon  their  intrenched  camp,  and  the  late 
and  actual  operations  of  lord  Wellington  on  the  right  had  been 
so  completely  successful  in  concealing  his  intention  of  passing 
the  Adour  below  Bayonne,  that  the  enemy  directed  no  thought 
or  attention  to  that  point.  Therefore,  Sir  John  Hope  determined 
to  commence  passing  the  river  as  soon  as  ever  a  few  boats  and 
pontoons  could  be  launched  ;  for  he  ascertained  that  the  enemy 
had  only  a  small  piquet  of  observation  upon  the  right  bank,  and 
that  no  opposition  was  prepared.  Owing  to  light  and  baffling 
winds,  the  bridge  flotilla  had  not  arrived  off"  the  bar.    The  pen- 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON  t5S 

toons  from  Bidart  did  not  accomplish  tlieir  march  in  the  time 
expected ;  and  at  noon  four  jolly-boats,  and  five  pontoons,  which 
the  men  took  on  their  shoulders  and  carried  over  tlie  sand-hills, 
:  were  the  only  means  of  passage  at  the  disposal  of  the  general. 
To  protect  the  launch  of  these  boats,  some  field-guns  were  moved 
forward.  At  sight  of  the  troops  the  enemy's  piquet  retired  witii- 
out  firing  a  shot,  and  walked  leisurely  away  to  the  citadel.  Fifty 
men  were  instantly  rowed  over  to  the  riglit  bank.  A  hawser 
was  stretched  across  the  river;  the  five  jwntoons  were  formed 
into  rafts;  and  a  detachment  of  the  guards  was  ferried  over. 
When  about  600  men  had  been  put  across,  the  tide  flowed  so 
strong,  that  the  rafts  could  no  longer  work ;  and,  save  a  few  sent 
over  in  the  jolly-boats,  tlie  jmssage  of  troops  ceased.  At  this 
time  only  six  companies  of  the  guards,  two  of  tlie  60th  rifles, 
and  a  small  j)arty  of  the  rocket  corps,  had  been  passed  to  the 
right  bank.  All  seemed  quiet  in  their  front;  when,  suddenly, 
about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  two  columns  issued  from  the 
citadel  to  attack  this  detachment  Colonel  Stopford  drew  up  his 
troops  in  a  position  that  secured  his  flanks,  and  enabled  him  to 
avail  himself  of  the  support  of  the  guns  on  the  opposite  bank. 
His  right  rested  on  the  Adour,  his  left  on  a  morass.  The  artillery 
could  sweep  his  front  with  a  defensive  fire;  and  he  judiciously 
placed  his  rocket-men  on  either  flank.  The  French  had  nearly 
1500  men,  and  advanced  to  the  attack  vvitli  stime  siiow  of  reso- 
lution ;  when  the  rockets  opened  on  tlicni,  and  being  well  di- 
rected, swept  through  their  ranks  with  so  rushing  a  sound,  aitd 
so  destructive  an  effect,  that  the  novelty  startled  and  apjKiUed 
them. 

They  seemed  paralyzed  with  astonishment,  and  a  few  quickly 
following  discharges  of  these  ground-rockets  drove  them  back 
in  haste  and  fear.  More  men  were  crossed  over  in  the  night  at 
slack  water;  and  on  tlie  following  evening  the  first  division,  two 
guns,  and  a  stpiadron  of  dragoons,  were  established  on  the  right 
bank. 

The  flotilla  appeared  off"  the  Adour  on  the  morning  of  the 
25th,  and  at  three  in  tlie  afternoon,  it  being  then  high  water, 
stood  for  the  bar  in  single  file.  The  wind  was  fair,  and  the 
weather  clear  and  brilliant,  but  a  heavy  swell  from  the  west- 
ward broke  upon  the  bar,  and  the  surf  was  high.  The  shores 
were  crowded  with  trooi)s,  in  breathless  anxiety  for  the  fate  of 
the  leading  vessel,  which  most  persons  expected  to  |)erisli ;  for, 
in  the  morning,  two  of  the  men-of-war's  launches  had  been 
swamped  and  s<jme  lives  lost  She  passed  safely  however, 
tliough  half  filled  with  water,  and  was  close  followed  by  others 
with  like  succesji.  As  they  shot  up  witli  the  tide,  the  soldiers  on 
either  Iiank  gave  three  loud  and  exulting  cheers  of  welcome. 
Thirty-four  of  these  cliasse  inarees  ran  safely  over  the  high  surf, 


156  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

keeping  right  before  it,  and  dipping  tlieir  bowsprits  under  water 
as  they  came  in :  but  three  or  four  of  the  vessels  of  this  flotilla 
were  driven  on  shore,  swamped,  or  went  to  pieces.  The  chasse 
marees  that  entered  were  now  anchored  head  and  stern  upon  the 
line  chosen,  in  a  most  masterly  manner,  by  the  naval  officers 
and  their  brave  seamen.  The  sappers  worked  hard  all  night, 
and  by  noon  on  the  following  day  a  solid  strong  bridge  was  laid 
down  and  reported  passable.  Troops  and  artillery  now  filed  over 
it,  and  the  citadel  of  Bayonne  was  closely  invested.  The  garri- 
son were  found  laboring  at  an  advanced  line  of  defence,  and 
held  strong  posts  in  the  villages  in  front  of  it.  Sir  John  Hope 
drove  them  within  their  advanced  line,  and  seized  these  villages. 
The  place  was  now  closely  blockaded,  and  the  advanced  posts 
of  the  investing  corps  were  most  carefully  strengthened,  for  the 
garrison  amounted  to  10,000  men  under  general  Thouvenot, 
with  several  gun-boats  on  the  river  under  his  defences.  There- 
fore a  boom  was  stretched  across  the  Adour  above  the  bridge 
just  laid  down ;  and  the  troops  in  reserve,  as  well  as  on  tlie  ad- 
vanced posts,  were  held  m  constant  readiness,  both  night  and 
day,  to  stand  to  their  arms. 


CHAP.  XIV. 

THE    BATTU:   OF   ORTHEZ. — THE  RETREAT  OF  THE  FRENCH. THE  COMBAT 

OF  AIRE. LORD  WELLINGTON  MARCHES  HIS  LEFT  WING  UPON  BORDEAUX. 

THE   RECEPTION  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  ANGOULEME  IN  THAT  CITY. STATE 

OF  AFFAIRS  IN  FRANCE. THE  MOVEMENTS  OF  SOULT. LORD  WELLING- 
TON'S   MANCEUVRES. THE  BATTLE  OF  TOULOUSE. SOULT    DEFEATED. 

THE  SORTIE  FROM  BAYONNE. THE    ABDICATION   OF    NAPOLEON. FERDI- 
NAND'S   RETURN   TO   SPAIN. THE    RESTORATION   OF    THE     BOURBONS    IN 

FRANCE. 

By  lord  Wellington's  earliest  operations  on  the  right,  that 
flank  of  his  army  had  been  at  once  cleared,  and  the  enemy  had 
been  driven  from  a  country  much  intersected  by  rivers,  and  sin- 
gularly difficult  and  defensible. 

The  position  Soult  now  occupied  at  Sauveterre  was  covered 
by  a  broad  river,  and  in  other  points  very  advantageous.  Lord 
Wellington  made  so  strong  a  demonstration  upon  the  front  of 
the  line  on  which  Soult  now  rested,  that  while  tlie  attention  of 
the  marshal  was  wholly  engaged  by  the  movements  in  his  front, 
Sir  Rowland  Hill  crossed  the  Gave  d'Oleron  at  Villenave,  with- 
out any  opposition,  on  the  24th  of  February,  and  turned  his  left. 
Upon  this  Soult  hastily  abandoned  his  ground,  transferred  his 
head-quarters  to  Orthez,  and  took  up  a  formidable  position  behind 
the  Pau.   The  third  and  light  divisions,  under  Sir  Thomas  Picton, 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  157 

had  followed  the  corps  of  Hill,  and  passed  the  Gave  d'Oleron  at 
the  same  spot ;  and  the  sixth  division,  under  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
had  crossed  also  between  Montfort  and  Laas,  without  meeting 
any  resistance,  while  marshal  Beresford,  on  the  left,  kept  the 
enemy  close  within  their  tete-de-pont  at  Pcyrehorade.  Lord 
Wellington,  now  disposing  his  force  in  three  columns,  determined 
to  attack  the  position  of  Orthez.  The  left,  under  marshal  Beres- 
ford, forded  the  Pau  about  four  miles  above  Peyrehorade,  and 
marching  u{)  tiie  right  bank,  joined  the  cavalry  and  general 
Picton's  division,  which  liad  crossed  by  a  ford  below  Berenx.  Sit 
Rowland  Hill,  with  his  own  corps,  supported  by  the  sixtli  and 
light  divisions,  inarched  to  force  the  bridge  of  Orthez ;  but  the 
approach  was  found  so  strongly  guarded  by  defences  and  troops, 
tliat  the  attempt  was  countermanded. 

About  eight  in  the  morning  of  the  27th  of  February,  tlie  sixth 
and  light  divisions  were  moved  down  the  river  (to  the  spot 
where  Picton  had  forded  on  the  afternoon  of  the  preceding  day), 
and  crossed  over  by  a  bridge  of  boats,  which  lord  Wellington 
had  directed  to  be  laid  down  for  tlic  artillery.  Tlie  corps  of  Sir 
Rowland  Hill  reinained  upon  the  high  road  to  Sauveterre,  oppo- 
site t)ie  bridge  and  village  of  Orthez.  Tlie  passage  of  the  Pan, 
from  the  depth  of  the  fords  and  tiie  force  of  tlie  current,  proved 
very  difficult ;  but  the  soldiers,  by  supporting  each  other  steadily, 
surmounted  the  danger,  and  crossed  without  loss. 

Lord  Wellington,  having  carefully  reconnoitred  the  enemy's 
position,  decided  to  attack  it 

Their  loft  flank  rested  upon  tlie  town  of  Orthez,  and  their  line 
was  posted  upon  a  range  of  heigiits  extending  about  a  mile  ia 
tlie  direction  of  Dax.  Their  riglit  stood  on  a  blufl^,  abrupt  point, 
and  was  covered  in  front  by  the  village  of  St.  Boes.  The  centre 
of  their  line,  owing  to  the  form  of  ttie  hill,  stood  considerably 
retired ;  and,  being  thus  sheltered  by  the  advanced  position  or 
the  flanks,  was  inassailable.  A  reserve  of  two  divisions  of  in- 
fantry and  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  was  drawn  up  on  a  very  elevated 
and  commanding  heigiit  upon  tiic  road  toSault  de  Navailles. 

The  dispositions  of  lord  Wellington  were  soon  made.  Mar- 
slial  Beresford,  with  tlie  fourth  and  seventh  divisions,  and  colonel 
Vivian's  brigade  of  cavalry,  were  ordered  to  carry  the  village  of 
St.  Boes  on  the  right,  and  to  assault  tlie  hill  above  it  Sir  Thoniaa 
Picton  was  ordered  to  march  with  the  third  and  sixth  divisions, 
and  a  brigade  of  cavalry  under  lord  Edward  Somerset,  upon  the 
centre  and  left  of  the  enemy.  The  light  division,  under  boron 
Alton,  was  directed  to  advance  up  a  ravine  between  these  two 
columns,  and  to  give  supiwrt  where  it  might  be  wanted.  Sir 
Rowland  Hill  was  instructed  to  lend  his  corjie  across  tiie  river 
by  a  fonl  about  two  miles  above  Orthez,  to  gain  a  point  in  tJie 
enemy's  rear,  and  cut  off  his  coiiiniunicalion  with  the  town  of  Pau. 

Vol.  II.  O 


168  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  left  wing  of  the  allies  began  the  battle.  Sir  Lowry  Cole, 
with  the  fourth  division,  after  a  sharp  contest,  carried  the  village 
of  St.  Boes  with  spirit.  Marshal  Beresford  now  moved  forwards, 
with  the  division  of  general  Cole  still  leading,  to  attack  the  right 
of  the  enemy  on  the  bold  hill  above.  The  troops  advanced  in 
gallant  order,  but  the  approach  was  along  a  narrow  ridge,  with 
ravines  on  either  side.  Upon  the  summit  of  this,  two  lines  of 
French  infantry  were  drawn  up  to  oppose  them.  It  was  not 
possible  for  the  assailants  to  advance  upon  the  enemy  in  a  line 
of  more  than  two  battalions  in  front.  The  ground  over  which 
they  marched  was  commanded  by  a  heavy  battery  of  field-artil- 
lery ;  and  in  the  upper  part  of  the  ravines  upon  their  flanks  the 
French  had  posted  strong  bodies  of  light  infantry.  The  troops 
behaved  admirably  well,  and  made  brave  efforts  to  reach  the 
summit  of  the  position,  but  in  vain. 

They  were  beaten  back  by  a  terrible  fire  both  of  artillery  and 
infantry.  A  Portuguese  brigade  was  so  roughly  handled,  that 
it  broke  in  confusion,  and  was  only  saved  by  the  timely  support 
of  a  brigade  of  the  light  division,  which  moved  up  on  its  flank 
and  covered  its  retreat.  Under  these  circumstances,  lord  Wel- 
lington executed  one  of  those  sudden  changes  of  attack  which 
exhibit  the  ready  resource  and  firm  resolve  of  a  bold  and  able 
general. 

He  directed  general  Walker,  with  the  seventh  division,  and 
colonel  Barnard,  with  a  brigade  of  the  light  division,  to  ascend 
the  height  by  its  left,  and  attack  the  enemy's  right  at  that 
bend  by  which  it  was  connected  with  the  centre.  At  the 
same  time,  he  ordered  Sir  Thomas  Picton  and  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
to  lead  forward  their  divisions,  which  had  hitherto  been  waiting 
the  result  of  marshal  Beresford's  assault.  Thus,  suddenly,  the 
fiice  of  the  battle  was  changed ;  for  these  orders  were  executed 
with  such  rapidity  and  boldness,  that  the  crest  of  the  position 
was  soon  gained,  and,  after  some  fierce  and  desperate  fighting 
on  the  heights,  the  enemy  suddenly  retired,  moving  off"  at  first 
with  good  order,  and  disputing  their  ground  as  they  retreated 
handsomely.  A  body  of  French  cavalry,  in  particular,  made  a 
gallant  charge  upon  two  corps  of  tlie  sixth  division  in  an  effort 
to  seize  the  artillery  of  that  division,  but  it  failed,  and  they  were 
repulsed  steadily  by  the  42d  foot.  All  the  regiments  of  the  third 
division  fought  hard,  and  were  distinguished;  and  a  brigade 
under  general  Inglis  made  a  most  gallant  charge  with  the  bayo- 
net on  the  enemy's  left  flank ;  nor  could  any  thing  be  finer  than 
the  advance  of  the  52d  regiment  under  colonel  Colborne,  which, 
after  the  change  of  attack,  led  first  up  the  hill. 

Marshal  Soult  conducted  his  army  to  the  rear  in  regular  eche- 
lons of  divisions,  and  they  held  the  several  positions  taken  up 
till  the  allies  closed  on  their  front  and  moved  upon  their  flank ; 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  159 

but,  as  soon  as  he  found  that  lord  Wellington  had  sent  a  corps 
across  the  river,  and  that  Sir  Rowland  was  in  full  march  to  in- 
tercept his  retreat,  he  hastened  the  pace  of  his  columns,  till,  as 
Sir  Rowland  pressed  onwards  upon  a  parallel  line  of  march  to 
cut  him  off  from  Sault  de  Navailles,  the  French  broke  their 
formation,  and  ran  for  that  point  with  such  speed  that  the  great 
body  of  them  passed  it  in  a  crowd.  However,  nearly  two  thou- 
sand prisoners  were  taken  in  the  pursuit;  for,  wherever  any 
obstacle  checked  their  hurry,  they  suffered  greatly.  Near  Sault 
de  Navailles  lord  Edward  Somerset  charged  them  with  his  cav- 
alry, and  captured  a  great  number  of  prisoners;  and  they  left 
several  guns  to  the  victors.  The  French  loss  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  taken,  exceeded  6(K)0,  and  some  hundreds  afterwards  de- 
serted, or  rather  disbanded,  and  w  ent  to  their  homes. 

In  this  battle  lord  Wellington  was  struck  by  a  spent  ball, — 
happily  it  did  but  graze  his  skin, — nor  did  he  quit  his  saddle  till 
the  day  was  won  ;  but  he  then  found  himself  so  lamed  and  stiff, 
that  he  could  not  ride  hi  the  pursuit. 

The  French  army  retired  in  the  night  to  Hagetman,  where  it 
was  joined  by  the  garrison  of  Dax,  and  continued  its  retreat  to 
St.  Sever.  At  the  same  time  Soult  directed  a  considerable  body 
of  troops  to  march  upon  Aire,  and  to  cover  the  removal  of  large 
magazines  collected  at  that  place. 

As  the  allies  advanced,  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  at  St 
Sever  fell  lack  upon  Agen.  The  left  of  the  allied  army,  under 
marshal  Beresford,  was  now  directed  on  Mont  de  Marsan ;  while 
the  right,  under  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  pursued  that  corps  of  the 
enemy  detaclied  to  Aire.  Unfortunately,  the  rains  set  in  again 
on  the  evening  of  the  battle,  and  fell  so  heavily,  that  the  rivers 
and  streams  were  soon  swollen ;  the  march  of  the  allies  was 
thus  greatly  impeded,  for  the  enemy  destroyed  all  the  bridges 
in  their  rear.  However,  Sir  Rowland  Hill  came  up  to  the  enemy 
on  the  2d  of  March,  and  found  them  in  position  before  the 
town  of  Aire.  They  were  drawn  up  on  a  ridge  of  hills,  which 
extended  across  the  main  road  leading  to  the  town,  and  their 
right  rcstetl  upon  the  Adour.  Sir  Rowland  attacked  them  in- 
stantly ;  the  second  division  advanced  by  the  road,  and  a  Portu- 
guese brigade  ascended  the  heights  ujxm  their  left-  The  columns 
were  conunanded  by  Sir  William  Stewart,  and  the  Portuguese 
were  le<i  by  general  de  Coeta.  The  second  division,  notwith- 
standing the  strength  of  the  position,  carried  tlie  point,  which 
they  assaile*!  with  great  steadiness  and  vigor;  but  the  Portuguese 
brigade,  nllhougli  they  gallantly  won  tJie  heiglit,  were  so  stoutly 
resLslod  artnrwards,  that  tlu-ir  formation  was  broken,  and  they 
would  have  l)ron  driven  off  in  confusion  liaii  not  general  Barnes 
come  promptly  to  their  aid.  The  success  of  the  srcond  division 
enabled  Sir  William  Stewart  to  detach  tlie  brigade  of  Baiues, 


160  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

and  thus,  just  as  the  French  were  about  to  fall  upon  the  Portu- 
guese with  a  column  well  formed  and  full  of  confidence,  they 
themselves  were  charged  by  the  British  and  beaten  off  the  field. 
Nevertheless  the  enemy  rallied,  and  made  a  strenuous  effort  to 
recover  their  ground  ;  but  the  brigade  of  general  Byng,  which 
had  been  hitherto  in  reserve,  was  now  brought  forward,  and  the 
French  soon  gave  up  the  contest;  and,  abandoning  the  position 
and  the  town,  hastily  crossed  the  Adour  in  so  great  disorder, 
that  many  were  taken  prisoners  in  the  pursuit,  and  a  small  body, 
being  separated  from  the  main  force,  fled  fast  towards  the  town 
of  Pau.  In  this  affair  the  allies  lost  about  150  killed  and  wounded ; 
and  here  the  honorable  lieutenant-colonel  Hood,  of  the  staff,  was 
elain. 

Marshal  Soult  now  conducted  his  army  up  the  right  bank  of 
the  Adour,  and  upon  the  3d  of  -March  he  had  again  collected  all 
his  forces  at  Plaisance,  Madiran,  and  Maubourget,  in  the  full 
impression  that  liis  opponent  would  follow  him ;  but  lord  Wel- 
lington, finding  the  road  to  Bordeaux  open,  instantly  directed 
his  left  wing  upon  that  important  city,  and  thus,  not  only  carried 
the  war  into  the  heart  of  France,  but  to  a  province  where  the 
memory  of  the  house  of  Bourbon  was  yet  cherished.  The  arri- 
val of  the  duke  d'Angouleme  at  St.  Jean  de  Luz,  two  months 
before  this  period,  had  been  a  circumstance  then  of  some  little 
embarrassment  to  lord  Wellington.  The  British  government 
had,  at  that  time,  taken  no  ground  on  which  he  could  venture  to 
recognize  that  prince  at  head-quarters  in  any  other  character 
than  that  of  a  private  individual,  volunteering  to  serve  in  the 
common  cause  against  the  ruler  of  France  and  the  enemy  of  all 
Europe.  However,  the  course  of  events,  the  progress  of  the 
allied  arms,  and  the  ascertained  dispositions  of  the  citizens  of 
Bordeaux,  had  now  brought  together  many  circumstances  favor- 
able to  the  hopes  of  the  Bourbons,  and  to  the  restoration  of  that 
ancient  and  unhappy  house. 

The  inhabitants  of  Bordeaux,  with  a  garrison  of  Napoleon's 
controlling  them,  could  not  of  course,  as  yet,  give  a  free  and 
open  expression  to  their  sentiments.  Therefore,  marshal  Beres- 
ford  was  instructed  to  drive  out  the  garrison  and  take  possession 
of  the  city.  But,  before  this  movement  was  made,  the  Spanish 
reserve  under  general  Freire  was  brought  forward,  and  all  the 
dispo.sable  troops  except  the  three  divisions  under  Beresford 
closed  to  the  right.  Upon  the  8th,  that  general  advanced  towards 
the  Garonne. 

As  early  as  the  1st  of  March,  the  duke  d'Angouleme  lefl 
St.  Jean  de  Luz,  and  rode  forwards  by  easy  journeys  to  join  this 
corps  of  the  army.  He  was  accompanied  by  the  count  Damas 
and  a  British  officer,  their  grooms,  and  one  orderly  dragoon.  The 
duke  himself  preserved  a  quiet  and  retired  demeanor  well 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  1 6 1 

becoming  his  position ;  however,  the  old  count  Damas  could  not 
avoid  telling  the  people  as  he  passed  who  the  duke  was.  For 
this  purpose,  he  often  fell  befrind  the  party,  and  conversed  with 
such  groups  of  Frenchmen  as  they  passed  upon  the  road.  The 
intelligence  was  almost  everywhere  received  with  a  decided 
expression  of  satisfaction  and  respect  There  were  no  loud- 
acclamations,  but  the  good  disposition  was  evident  and  general. 
One  remarkable  exception  occurred  wortliy  to  be  noticed.  At 
Peyrehorade  tlie  postmaster  recommended  that  the  mayor  only 
should  be  apprized,  as  he  said,  the  inhabitants  having  many  of 
them  been  enriched  by  the  plunder  of  the  ernigrants  were  bad 
spirits.  When  indeed  they  discover«l  who  their  illustrious  guest 
was,  they  ventured  no  insult,  but  gazed  upon  him  with  more 
curiosity  than  attachment.  In  many  parts  of  the  duke's  route, 
the  people,  hearing  beforehand  of  his  approach,  crowded  to  the 
road-side,  were  loud  in  their  joy,  and  showed  strong  marks  of 
good-will.  The  utmost  cordiality  was  everywhere  manifested 
by  the  clergy,  and  the  farther  he  advanced,  the  more  hearty  and 
fearless  was  the  reception  given  him  by  the  people. 

From  the  moment  that  the  hopes  of  tlie  exiled  family  had 
recovered ;  and  before  the  duke  d'Angouleme  went  to  St.  Jean 
de  Luz,  an  agent  of  the  Bourbons  had  visited  Bordeaux,  had  seen 
M.  de  la  Roche-Jacquelein,  and  communicated  to  him  tlie  wishes 
of  Louis  XVIII.  That  zealous  and  courageous  royalist  immedi- 
ately exerted  himself  in  the  cause  of  the  king,  and  a  disposition 
was  soon  evinced  among  the  inhabitants  of  Anjou  and  Touraine 
to  renounce  their  allegiance  to  Napoleon  and  restore  the  ancient 
line  of  princes.  Of  Uie  existence  of  this  feeling,  Buonaparte 
was  soon  apprized,  and  Savary  received  orders  to  arrest  M.  de  la 
Roche-Jacqucloin  as  the  secret  promoter  of  this  dangerous  con- 
spiracy :  but,  boing  privately  warned  of  tiiis  while  in  the  country, 
by  an  express  from  M.  Lynch  of  Bordeaux,  he  escaped  thither 
on  the  instant,  an;l  from  thence,  with  some  difficulty  and  danger, 
to  the  British  head-cpiarters.  Mere  he  made  warm  rcprescntationa 
of  the  state  of  the  public  mind  in  Bordeaux,  and  expressed  his 
desire  to  be  intrusted  with  a  few  hundred  men  that  he  might 
land  on  the  coast  of  Poitou  and  rouse  the  spirit  of  La  Vendee. 
Lord  Wellington  listened  to  M.  de  la  llochc-Jnccjuelcin  with 
interest  and  respect;  but,  considered  it  doubtful  wholher  the 
attachment  of  tlie  people  to  the  IViurbons  was  so  decided  ns  the 
sanguine  wishes  of  his  loyal  informant  led  him  to  represent  it. 
Moreover,  as  the  allies  were  then  recognizing  Buonaparte  us  the 
sovereign  of  France,  he  was  not  authorized  to  entertain  any 
such  proposition  as  was  thus  made  to  him.  However,  tlie  cor- 
rectness of  the  statement  of  this  ardent  royalist  as  regarded 
Bordeaux  was  now  confirmed. 

As  soon  as  marshal  Beresford  approached  the  city,  general 
O  2 


162  MILITARY  iMEMOIRS  OF 

L'Huillier  withdrew  the  garrison  and  retired  to  the  right  bank 
of  the  Garonne.  Upon  this  the  entire  population  of  Bordeaux, 
headed  by  tlieir  civil  authorities,  came  out  to  greet  the  allies ; 
received  them  as  deliverers,  and  hailed  the  duke  d'Angouleme 
with  the  loudest  enthusiasm.  They  all  wore  the  white  ccckade, 
and,  upon  the  entrance  of  this  prince,  they  destroyed  all  the 
badges  of  the  existing  government,  and  proclaimed  Louis  XVIII. 
with  unhesitating  boldness.  All  this  they  did  upon  their  own 
risk,  without  one  pledge  or  promise  of  protection,  or  one  stipu- 
lation in  their  favor;  should  the  negotiations  then  pending  at 
Chatillon  so  terminate  as  to  leave  Buonaparte  their  master  by 
the  voice  of  the  allies.  This  early  and  decided  declaration  for 
the  Bourbons  lord  Wellington  had  not  expected  or  advised.  On 
the  contrary,  while  glad  to  have  military  occupation  of  a  city 
with  such  dispositions,  he  liad  recommended  patience  as  their 
prudent  and  their  proper  course  till  the  congress  of  Chatillon 
had  terminated  its  sittings,  and  closed  their  treaty. 

While  these  things  were  passing  in  the  eouth  of  France, 
Napoleon,  at  the  head  of  as  large  a  force  as  he  could  assemble, 
was  defending  the  approaches  to  his  capital  with  an  ability  and 
spirit  never  in  his  most  fortunate  and  successful  campaigns 
exceeded.  All  his  eflbrts  had  only  enabled  him  to  collect  an 
army  numerically  feeble,  while  upon  all  sides  the  allies  were 
advancing  from  the  Rhine  in  mighty  and  resistless  strength. 
Yet  this  man  of  energy,  by  the  skill  of  his  combinations,  and  by 
the  length  and  rapidity  of  his  marches,  was  opposing  alternately 
the  head  of  every  hostile  column  witli  superior  numbers.  Though 
they  were  thrusting  him  down  from  the  pinnacle  of  his  pride,  he 
was  plucking  laurels  as  he  fell.  Already  the  allies  had  penetrated 
to  Laon,  and  had,  though  for  a  time  only,  occupied  Soissons :  still 
fearless,  still  hopeful,  he  was  making  head  in  the  field  against 
the  confederated  armies  of  Europe,  and  struggling  in  the  con- 
gress for  such  conditions  as  would  have  left  him  master  of  many 
important  fortresses  beyond  the  ancient  limits  of  France ;  and, 
as  a  consequence,  enabled  him,  after  a  convenient  repose,  again 
to  march  forth  as  the  disturber  of  all  Europe. 

The  march  directed  by  lord  Wellington  upon  Bordeaux  at 
such  a  moment,  and  the  popular  movement,  produced  a  remark- 
able effect  all  over  the  South  of  France,  and  it  extended  to  the 
very  heart  of  the  country. 

Marshal  Soult  instantly  published  an  angry  and  stormy  pro- 
clamation, full  of  im}X)tent  abuse  against  the  English  nation,  and 
of  mean  invectives  against  the  victorious  leader  of  her  gallant 
army.  This  document  showed  plainly  the  full  value  of  that 
advantage  which  the  allies  had  gained  by  the  marcli  upon  Bor- 
deaux. To  counteract  this  movement,  and  if  possible  to  bring 
back  Uie  allies  from  the  Garonne,  Soult  suddenly  advanced  en 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  163 

the  13th  of  March  to  Conchez  and  Viella  on  the  right  flank  of 
the  allies,  drove  in  the  piquets  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  and  menaced 
the  corps  of  that  general  with  the  serious  attack  of  his  whole 
force.  Sir  Rowland  immediately  disposed  his  corps  with  their 
left  at  Aire,  their  right  at  Garlin,  and  the  little  river  of  Gros 
Lees  in  his  front;  and  lord  Wellington  sent  two  divisions  to 
Bupport  him. 

Soult  took  post  opposite  the  allies  upon  a  ridge  of  very  strong 
ground,  and  displaying  great  numbers,  kept  them  in  doubt  as  to 
his  own  intentions,  and  thus  reckoned  on  compelling  Welling- 
ton to  evacuate  Bordeaux.  In  this  he  was  disappointed ;  for, 
though  lord  Wellington  sent  Beresford  orders  to  lead  back  a  part 
of  his  corps,  he  directed  that  one  division  should  be  left  in  that 
city.  However,  the  corps  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill  being  already 
strengthened  by  two  divisions,  Soult  did  not  attempt  any  thing 
further,  but  remainetl  in  presence  of  the  allies  the  whole  of  the 
14th,  and  judging  from  appearances  that  lord  Wellington  might 
attack  him  on  the  morrow,  he  drew  off  in  the  night.  The  allies 
followed  him,  and  found  his  rear -guard  strongly  posted  at 
Mascarras,  with  his  main  body  in  position  at  Burosse.  On  the 
approach  of  the  advanced  guard,  the  whole  of  the  enemy  retired 
upon  Vic  Bigorre.  During  the  16th  and  17th,  the  allies  halted. 
Upon  the  18th,  having  been  joined  by  some  reserve  artillery  and 
cavalry,  and  by  the  Spanish  corps  from  Irun,  the  whole  army 
again  advanced.  Upon  tlie  lOtli,  they  marched  in  two  columns 
upon  Vic  Bigorre ;  the  right  moving  by  I.,embege,  and  tiie  left  by 
Maubourget  At  Vic  the  enemy's  rear-guard  being  strongly 
posted  among  the  vineyards  in  front  of  the  town,  held  its  ground 
until  dislcxlged  by  the  light  companies  of  the  tiiird  division,  and 
a  Portuguese  brigade,  after  a  brilliant  skirmish. 

The  same  evening  Soult  collected  his  whole  army  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Adour.  Here  he  placed  his  troops  in  position 
on  some  favorable  heights  with  his  left  resting  on  Tarbes,  and 
his  right  extending  in  the  direction  of  Rabastens. 

Upon  the  2()th,Tord  Wellington  directed  Jhe  corps  of  Sir  Row- 
land Hill,  and  the  third  division,  to  advance  upon  the  enemy's 
front,  while  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  with  tlie  sixth  division,  6up|K)rtcd 
by  two  brigades  of  cavalrj',  shoulil  cross  tlic  Adour  near  Vic, 
and  march  to  turn  his  right  These  manu-uvres  were  well  exe- 
cuted and  completely  successful.  Sir  Rowland  drove  the  enemy 
to  the  heights  beyond  Tarb&s  his  light  troops  charging  them 
through  the  streets  of  the  town ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  French 
marshal  discerned  the  column  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  upon  his 
right,  he  fell  back  upon  a  strong  ridge  of  heights  in  his  rear 
nearly  parallel  to  his  former  jxisition,  and  u[)on  which  his  reserve 
was  already  formed.  The  fresh  di.spositions  ncces.'iary  to  attack 
this  poet  could  not  be  completed  till  it  was  already  too  late  in 


164  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

the  evening  to  dislodge  him.  In  the  night,  however,  Soult  re- 
tired by  St.  Gaudens  on  Toulouse.  Being  without  encumbrances 
he  marched  rapidly,  destroyed  the  bridges  in  his  rear,  and  en- 
tered Toulouse  on  the  24th.  The  cavalry,  under  general  Fane, 
came  up  with  his  rear-guard  at  St.  Gaudens,  and  made  some 
prisoners,  but  he  was  not  further  molested.  The  allies  being 
encumbered  with  a  pontoon  train,  followed  by  most  of  their 
supplies,  and  moving  over  bad  roads  under  heavy  rain,  marched 
slowly,  and  did  not  arrive  before  Toulouse  till  the  27th,  when 
they  halted  upon  the  left  bank  of  the  Garonne  opposite  the  city. 

Here  Soult  assembled  every  disposable  soldier,  and  occupied 
a  position,  the  local  advantages  of  which  he  carefully  improved 
by  fortifying  the  approaches  with  skill,  and  constructing  on  the 
position  itself  redoubts  of  considerable  strength. 

The  city  of  Toulouse  covers  a  space  of  ground,  about  two 
miles  in  length  from  north  to  south ;  and  the  breadth  from  east 
to  west  is  a  mile  and  a  quarter.  The  Fauxbourg  St  Cyprien 
stands  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Garonne,  and  is  surrounded,  like 
the  city  itself,  by  an  ancient  wall  of  brick,  lofty,  of  considerable 
thickness,  and  flanked  by  towers.  This  fauxbourg  is  connected 
with  the  city  by  a  good  bridge  of  stone. 

About  two  miles  below  the  city  the-canal  of  Languedoc  enters 
the  Garonne.  This  canal  and  the  river  surround  Toulouse  on 
three  sides.  On  the  fourth,  or  to  the  south,  an  open  space  extends 
from  the  Garonne  to  the  canal.  To  the  east  of  the  canal  there  is 
a  range  of  heights,  and  beyond  flows  a  river  called  tlie  Ers.  All 
the  roads  from  the  eastward  pass  over  these  heights. 

Here  was  the  field  position  of  the  enemy.  Upon  the  left  and 
centre  five  redoubts  had  been  constructed  of  a  very  strong  pro- 
file, and  they  were  connected  by  lines  of  intrenchment ;  but  the 
right  of  this  line,  being  covered  by  the  river  Ers  at  the  distance 
of  half-gun-shot,  had  no  such  defences.  The  bridges  on  the  canal 
were  guarded  by  tetes-de-pont,  and  commanded  by  artillery  from 
the  old  walls  of  the  city.  All  the  bridges  over  the  Ers  by  which 
their  right  could  be, approached  were  broken  down,  except  one 
at  the  village  of  Croix  d'Orade,  which  they  left  standing  for 
their  convenience,  with  the  intention  of  destroying  it  at  the  last 
moment.  On  the  side  of  St.  Cyprien,  the  enemy  had  thrown  up 
strong  field-works  in  front  of  the  ancient  walls,  and  formed  an 
impregnable  tete-de-pont.  The  south  front  of  the  city  is  not 
covered  either  by  the  river  or  the  canal ;  but  it  cannot  be  di- 
rectly approached,  owing  to  the  badness  of  the  roads,  which  are 
not  practicable  for  artillery,  and  to  those  heights  upon  the  east 
which  command  them.  The  width  and  rapidity  of  the  Garonne 
completed  the  security  of  the  enemy's  position,  and  increased 
the  difficulties  of  the  assailant. 

On  the  28th  lord  Wellington  attempted  to  lay  down  a  bridge 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  165 

at  Portet,  a  village  above  the  town  ;  but,  when  the  sheer  line  was 
stretched  across,  the  width  proved  more  than  the  pontoons  would 
cover.  Upon  the  31st,  a  passable  point  was  found  higher  up. 
It  was  some  time,  liowever,  before  the  spot  was  fixed  on.  When, 
after  llie  difficulty  of  the  28lh,  some  officer  had  expressed  an  ap- 
prehension thai  it  might  not  be  practicable  to  lay  down  a  bridge 
till  tlie  river  had  fallen,  lord  Wellington  observed  instantly,  with 
cheerful  animation,  but  with  strong  decision,  "  If  it  will  not  do 
one  way,  wc  must  try  another ;  for  I  never  in  my  life  gave  up 
any  thing  I  once  undertook." 

As  soon  as  tlio  pontcKins  were  laid  down  near  Ropues,  on  the 
31st,  Sir  Rowland  Hill  led  his  corps  across  the  river;  but,  from 
the  state  of  the  roads,  and  the  nature  of  the  ccuntrj',  which  had 
been  soaked  with  the  late  rains,  he  found  it  impossible  to  march 
upon  Toulouse  from  that  point.  The  efforts  were,  for  a  time, 
persevered  in  ;  but  the  road  proving  quite  impassable,  he  coun- 
termarched, and  returned  to  the  left  bank.  On  the  4th  of  April, 
a  bridge  was  laid  down  considerably  below  the  city,  at  a  bend  in 
the  river,  about  half  a  league  above  Grenade.  Here,  under  the 
cover  of  flanking  batteries,  marshal  Beresford,  with  the  fourth 
and  sixth  divisions  and  some  cavalry,  crossed  and  established 
himself  on  the  right  bank.  These  troops  were  to  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  the  Spanish  corps  under  general  Freire,  and  by  the 
light  division  ;  but  the  river  .suddenly  rose,  and  it  became  neces- 
sary to  take  up  a  part  of  the  bridge  instantly,  and  on  the  mor- 
row to  remove  the  whole.  Tims  marshal  Beresforrl  was  left  upon 
the  right  bank  in  a  very  anxious  position,  and  might  have  been 
attacked  by  a  very  superior  force.  However,  no  attack  was 
made.  The  river  subsided,  and,  upon  the  8lh,  the  pontoons  were 
again  put  down,  and  the  Spaniards  of  Freire  crossed  to  the  right 
bank ;  a  brilliant  afl'nir  of  cavalry,  in  wliich  the  18tli  hussars, 
led  by  colonel  Vivian,  overtiircw  a  Ixxly  of  tlic  enemy's  horse  in 
front  of  the  village  of  Croix  d'Orade,  enabled  tliat  officer  to  seize 
the  bridge,  and  tluis  secure  an  approach  to  the  enemy's  position 
of  great  importjmce.  In  this  skirmish  the  French  were  pursued 
so  closely  that  thoy  lost  1(K)  pri.^onors.  During  this  period  tJie 
corps  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill  remained  in  front  of  the  fauxbourw 
St  Cypricn  ;  and  tiie  attention  of  the  enemy  was  thus  diverted 
from  mar.<hal  Beresford.  On  the  night  of  tlio  8tli,  the  bridge 
by  which  that  marshal  and  the  Spaniards  had  crossed  tiic  Ga- 
ronne w;iH  removed  and  bro\ight  hii>]ier  up  tlic  river,  and  put  down 
near  Ausonne.  This  could  not  be  effi^cfed  yo  as  to  admit  of  the 
light  division  passing,  on  the  9th,  soon  enough  for  a  general  en- 
gagement on  that  day  :  but,  early  on  the  10th,  the  light  and  third 
divisions  crossed  the  river,  and  the  whole  army  was  in  motion, 
or  under  arms,  to  attack  the  enemy. 

The  corps  of  Sir  Rowland  Hill  observed  the  Fauxbourg  St 


166  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

Cyprien,  and  confined  the  enemy  closely  within  his  works.  The 
third  division  was  to  make  a  heavy  demonstration  against  the 
canal  bridge  and  the  town  immediately  to  the  right  of  the  river; 
the  light  division  was  to  act  upon  the  left  of  the  third,  and  to  ob- 
serve and  shut  up  the  road  of  Paris.  Marshal  Beresford  was  to 
lead  the  fourth  and  sixth  divisions  across  the  Ers,  seize  the  vil- 
lage of  Mont  Blanc ;  and,  moving  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Ers, 
till  he  gained  the  right  flank  of  the  enemy's  position,  he  was  to 
form  and  attack  it.  The  Spaniards  under  Freire  were  to  ascend 
the  left  of  the  enemy's  position  at  the  same  moment  that  Beres- 
ford assaulted  the  right,  and  push  forward  upon  the  heights  till 
they  should  meet  his  column.  Such  were  the  dispositions  for 
the  attack. 

The  heights  upon  the  left  of  the  enemy's  position,  called  La 
Pujade,  were  guarded  by  two  divisions  of  infantry,  having  in 
their  front  a  brigade  of  horse.  Those  of  Mont  Calvinet,  on  the 
right  centre,  were  occupied  by  one  division  of  infantry;  and 
those  of  Montaudran,  on  the  extreme  right,  were  held  by  one 
brigade  of  infantry,  with  a  strong  body  of  cavalry  in  their  front, 
on  the  road  to  Bordes.  Heavy  columns  of  reserve  were  posted 
in  rear  of  the  heights.  The  can^l,  from  the  rear  of  La  Pujade 
to  its  junction  with  the  Garonne,""was  guarded  by  strong  bodies 
of  infantry.  The  suburb  of  St.  Cyprien  was  occupied  by  a  divi- 
sion ;  and  that  of  St.  Etienne,  upon  the  eastern  side,  by  another ; 
and  various  posts  in  the  fauxbourg  and  on  the  walls  were  de- 
fended by  reserve  conscripts  and  national  guards. 

Marshal  Beresford  opened  the  battle,  by  crossing  the  bridge 
of  Orade,  and  carrying  the  village  of  Mont  Blanc.  This  done, 
he  marched  up  the  left  bank  of  the  Ers  in  three  open  columns 
over  difficult  ground  in  the  finest  order.  As  soon  as  he  had  reach- 
ed a  point  opposite  the  extreme  right  of  the  enemy's  position,  he 
formed  his  lines  of  attack,  and  advanced  steadily  upon  it.  While 
Beresford  was  engaged  in  these  preliminary  movements,  general 
Freire  had  formed  the  Spanish  foot  in  front  of  Croix  d'Orade  in 
two  lines  of  attack.  A  battery  of  Portuguese  artillery  was  placed 
on  a  height  near,  to  cover  their  movements  ;  and  general  Pon- 
sonby's  brigade  of  cavalry  was  formed  in  their  rear  as  a  reserve. 

The  right  and  left  of  the  heights  occupied  by  the  enemy  were 
now  assaulted  at  the  same  moment.  The  Spaniards  advanced  - 
boldly,  and  drove  in  the  first  brigade  of  the  French  which  they 
encountered ;  but,  as  they  closed  upon  the  enemy's  works,  the 
fire  of  grape  became  so  deadly  that  they  lost  their  formation,  and 
went  forward  with  great  irregularity  and  confusion  to  a  hollow 
road  in  front  of  the  enemy's  intrenchments,  which  was  sheltered 
from  the  guns.  The  second  line  of  the  Spaniards  advanced  but 
slowly  to  their  support.  The  French,  seeing  the  difficulty  and 
irresolution  of  the  assailants,  came  upon  them  swiftly,  and  with 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  167 

such  vigor,  that,  with  the  exception  of  one  regiment,  the  Span- 
ish troops  broke,  and  were  driven  back  upon  the  Ers  with  a  heavy 
loss.  The  general  Freire  and  his  best  officers  exerted  themselves 
gallantly,  and  to  the  utmost,  to  check  this  disorder,  and  rally  the 
fugitives.  Lord  Wellington,  always  present  at  the  right  place, 
and  at  the  right  moment,  rallied  a  small  body  of  tliem  at  an 
important  point  in  person.  The  light  division  was  brought  up 
on  the  right  of  the  Spaniards,  and  thus  the  enemy  was  checked 
in  his  hot  pursuit ;  the  bridge  over  the  Ers  was  preserved  ;  and 
general  Freire  was  enabled  to  collect  his  discomfited  battalions 
and  form  them  anew. 

The  right  of  the  enemy's  position  was  already  in  the  power 
of  marshal  Bcresfbrd.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  steady  gal- 
lantry with  which  general  Clinton's  division  advanced  up  the 
steep  height  of  Mont  Calvinet,  carriotl  the  redoubt  which  covered 
the  right  flank  of  that  hill,  and  established  themselves  on  the 
enemy's  line.  General  Cole's  division,  in  like  order,  but  with  a 
smaller  loss,  marched  up  the  heiglits  on  the  enemy's  extreme 
right,  and  formed  upon  the  summit :  suffering  little  either  from 
the  brigade  of  infantry  in  their  front,  or  the  cavalry  on  their  left 
flank. 

At  this  period  of  the  battle,  10,000  of  the  allies  were  drawn 
up  on  the  same  range  of  heights  with  the  enemy,  and  marshal 
Beresford  only  awaited  the  arrival  of  his  guns  to  follow  up  his 
success.  Without  artillery  it  was  not  jX)ssible  to  continue  his 
movements  against  tlio  enemy's  centre  ;  for  they  still  occupied 
in  strength  a  formidable  line  of  intrenchments,  two  fortified 
houses,  and  four  large  redoubts. 

Owirig  to  this  state  of  things,  all  further  attacks  upon  the 
enemy  were  of  necessity  suspended.  Meantime  Soult  strongly 
reinforced  his  cavalry  on  the  heiglits  of  Montaudran,  and  drew 
from  the  fauxbourg  SL  Cyprien  and  the  canal  as  many  troops  as 
could  be  spared  to  form  reserves  in  the  rear  of  CalvineL  By 
the  repulse  of  the  Spaniards,  the  Frencli  had  obtained  a  consider- 
able advantage ;  and,  in  another  part  of  the  field,  they  had  given 
a  severe  and  bloody  check  to  the  brave  division  of  general 
Picton. 

That  officer  had  been  directed  to  make  a  false  attack  on  the 
canal  bridge  nearest  to  the  Garonne.  He  exceeded  these  in- 
structions, and  thus  committe<]  his  division  in  a  real  attack  upon 
a  formidable  work  which  defended  that  bridge,  and  which,  by  the 
iiature  of  its  wide  ditch,  was  found  inn.ssailable.  General  Picton 
was  tcinptc<l  to  tliis  effort  by  a  (]u\ck  perception  of  the  advan- 
tage that  would  have  been  gained  could  ho  have  pushed  across 
the  canal  when  the  French  drove  the  Sjviniards  from  the  lieights 
of  La  Piijade,  and  advancwl  so  far  in  pursuit  of  them.  As  soon 
as  ever  he  discovered  the  impracticable  nature  of  the  t^te-de- 


16s  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

pont,  he  drew  off  his  division  with  haste ;  but  they  suffered  very 
severely  both  from  musketry  and  artillery. 

Upon  the  left  of  the  .Garonne,  Sir  Rowland  Hill  confined  the 
enemy  within  those  works  which  they  had  erected  in  front  of 
St  Cyprien,  and  made  such  demonstrations  as  kept  them  jealous 
and  alarmed  for  that  suburb. 

About  noon  Beresford  got  up  his  guns,  and  the  battle  was  re- 
newed. He  continued  his  movements  along  the  ridge  at  the 
head  of  two  divisions.  The  sixth,  under  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  led ; 
the  fourth,  under  Sir  Lowry  Cole,  followed ;  and  both  advanced 
upon  the  enemy's  redoubts  in  line.  Soult  determined,  instead  of 
waiting  for  this  attack  in  the  line  of  his  works,  to  anticipate  it 
by  a  sudden  and  weighty  assault  on  the  sixth  division,  both  in 
front  and  flank ;  counting,  if  successful,  to  overpower  them  be- 
fore the  fourth  division  could  come  into  action.  He  tlierefore 
ordered  the  divisions  of  Clausel  and  Taupin  to  attack  that  of 
general  Clinton  in  front ;  and  the  brigade  of  general  Leseur, 
with  a  regiment  of  chasseurs  and  the  cavalry  of  general  Berton, 
to  fall  upon  its  flank.  The  French  pushed  resolutely  out,  and 
met  the  advancing  line  in  ground  where  the  fire  of  their  redoubts 
could  render  them  no  support. 

The  struggle  was  fierce  and  bloody,  but  it  did  not  last  long ; 
and  was  finally  decided  by  the  bayonets  of  the  British.  General 
Taupin  was  killed,  and  his  division  driven  back  in  confusion  upon 
their  works.  The  two  principal  redoubts,  and  the  fortified  houses 
in  the  centre  of  their  position,  were  instantly  carried  by  a  bri- 
gade of  the  sixth  division  under  general  Pack. 

All  these  things  might  be  seen  from  the  walls  and  the  roofs 
of  Toulouse,  which  were  crowded  with  anxious  and  agitated 
spectators.  Animated  by  the  consciousness  of  this,  the  French 
soldiers  formed  again,  and,  supported  by  the  reserves  on  the  canal, 
made  a  desperate  effort  to  recover  these  redoubts;  but  it  was 
vain.  In  vain  did  Soult  renew  the  assault  with  a  stubborn  and 
determined  spirit ;  in  vain  did  he  form  his  weakened  divisions 
upon  a  new  line,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  yet  hold  the  works 
of  La  Pujade  on  his  left,  and  cover  his  right  by  those  of  the 
Pont  de  Demoiselles  on  the  canal :  marshal  Beresford  pursued 
his  success  with  ability  and  vigor.  The_  Spaniards,  who  had 
been  reformed,  advanced  upon  the  left  of  La  Pujade,  and  the 
g-allant  sixth  division  pushed  towards  the  same  point.  The 
French,  abandoning  the  redoubts  upon  those  heights,  now  rapidly 
passed  the  canal ;  and  the  citizens  of  Toulouse  saw  the  banners 
of  England,  Portugal,  and  Spain  waving  upon  the  conquered  hill 
in  triumph. 

The  victory  of  Toulouse  cost  the  British  and  Portuguese  more 
than  4500  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  loss  of  the  Spaniards 
exceeded  2000 :  the  French  had  two  generals  killed,  and  thi-e© 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  169 

wounded  and  taken.  On  the  side  of  the  allies  many  superior 
officers  were  wounded;  and  lieutenant-colonels  Coghlan  of  the 
61st,  and  Forbes  of  the  45tii,  were  killed.  Several  of  the  British 
regiments,  especially  in  the  sixth  division,  lost  more  than  half 
their  numbers,  and  were  distinguished  by  their  valor. 

The  French  had  now  but  one  road  open  for  their  retreat :  they 
could  not  force  across  the  Garonne  by  the  suburb  of  St.  Cyprien ; 
for  Sir  Rowland  Hill  had,  during  the  battle,  possessed  himself  of 
their  e.xterior  works  in  front  of  that  suburb,  had  shut  them  up 
within  the  ancient  wall,  and  guarded  tliat  bank  of  the  Garonne 
closely  and  in  strength.  The  battle  of  Toulouse  was  fought 
on  Easter  Sunday ;  and,  on  the  day  following,  the  terrified  in- 
habitants saw  30,000  troops  within  their  walls,  and  busy  prepara- 
tions to  defend  the  city.  It  is  not  probable  that  Soult  ever  seri- 
ously thought  of  such  a  measure  ;  though  he  spoke  of  defending 
it  to  extremity,  and  burying  himself  beneath  the  ruins.  He  un- 
derstood his  military  position  too  well,  and  knew  perfectly  the 
actual  temper  of  the  inliabitantis ;  therefore,  when  he  observed 
the  dispositions  of  lord  Wellington  to  complete  the  investment 
of  Toulouse,  he  evacuated  the  city  by  night,  on  the  12th  of 
April,  taking  the  road  of  Ville-Franche,  and  retired  the  day  fol- 
lowing to  Coiitolnaudry. 

Toulouse  now  threw  wide  her  gates  to  the  conquerors,  and 
welcomed  them  with  loud  expressions  of  joy  and  confidence. 
Nor  is  there  any  reason  to  suppose  they  were  not  sincere.  All 
were  suddenly  released  from  very  terrible  anxieties  and  fears, — 
all  were  desirous  of  peace, — all  hated  the  military  yoke  of  Na- 
poleon, and  trembled  at  their  own  troops.  The  clergy,  and  most 
of  those  who  respected  the  altar  and  the  throne,  still  cherished 
the  memory  of  the  Bourbons:  therefore  they  displayed  the  white 
flag ;  they  mounted  white  cockades ;  they  shouted  "  Vive  le  roi !" 
and  they  hailed  Wellington  iis  their  deliverer. 

One  reflection  connecte<l  with  the  victory  of  Toulouse  is 
mournful :  had  the  actual  state  of  affairs  at  Paris  been  communi- 
cated with  the  lea.st  possible  delay,  the  battle  pcrha|)s  never 
would  have  been  fought,  and  the  life-blood  of  many  gallant  men 
might  have  been  sparc^d.  It  was  not  till  tlie  evening  of  the  13th 
that  dispatciies  arrived  from  Paris  with  intelligence  that  Napo- 
leon had  abtlicated,  and  that  the  Bourbons  were  restored.  This 
information  was  brought  by  two  officers,  one  of  each  nation,  and 
immediately  communicated  to  Soult;  but  tliat  marshal  demurred, 
and,  refusing  to  send  in  his  adhesion  to  the  new  government  till 
he  could  iiscertain  the  real  state  of  public  affairs,  would  only 
propose  a  suspension  of  hostilities.  This  lord  Wellington  re- 
fused, as  a  course  unnecessjiry,  and  tending  to  keep  up  disquiet 
and  alarm  in  the  public  mind,  and  instantly  put  his  army  in 

Vol.  II.  P 


170      "  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

motion  to  follow  Soult.  As  soon  as  the  allies  advanced,  the  mar- 
shal formally  recognized  the  provisional  government  of  France ; 
and  on  the  following  day,  the  18th  of  April,  hostilities  ceased, 
and  a  line  of  demarcation  was  established  between  the  army  of 
Soult  and  that  of  the  allies.  The  battle  of  Toulouse  was  not 
the  closing  scene  of  this  memorable  campaign  in  the  south  of 
France.  Upon  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  April,  the  governor 
of  Bayonne  made  a  furious  sortie  upon  the  investing  corps.  The 
French  sallied  from  the  citadel  in  great  strength,  and,  rushing 
upon  the  intrenched  village  of  St.  Etienne,  dislodged  the  allies 
before  they  could  effectually  resist  or  be  supported  from  the 
rear.  Here  general  Hay,  who  commanded  the  outposts  for  the 
night,  was  slain.  The  allied  piquets  in  the  centre  were  also 
forced  back,  and  general  Stafford  was  wounded.  Nor  did  the 
disasters  end  here.  Sir  John  Hope  hastened  early  to  the  scene 
of  action ;  but  he  was  soon  wounded,  and  his  horse  siiot  under 
him,  and  before  he  could  be  extricated  was  made  prisoner  by  the 
enemy.  However,  reinforcements  were  quickly  brought  up; 
and  the  French  being  driven  into  the  citadel,  all  the  posts  were 
re-established  as  before.  The  fighting  was  very  severe,  and  at 
close  quarters;  many  bayonet  wounds  were  given,  on  both 
sides ;  and  the  opponents  only  discerned  each  other's  ranks  by 
the  flashing  of  their  muskets.  The  loss  of  the  allies  amounted 
to  800  killed,  wounded,  and  taken ;  that  of  the  French  was  yet 
greater. 

As  the  works  of  the  siege  had  not  commenced,  as  there  were 
no  guns  or  stores  upon  the  ground,  and  as  the  state  of  affairs  at 
Paris  had  been  communicated  to  the  governor  the  day  before,  it 
is  difficult  to  excuse  this  action  of  general  Thouvenot :  it  con- 
sisted not  with  the  necessary  or  the  honorable  performance  of 
his  duty,  and  can  only  be  attributed  to  an  expectation  that 
Buonaparte  would  yet  retrieve  his  affairs,  and  to  a  belief  that 
he  should  again  see  the  star  of  Napoleon  in  the  ascendant 
Meanwhile,  the  fall  of  his  master  was  at  the  moment  irrecover- 
able, and  had  been  greatly  precipitated  by  a  blind  and  super- 
stitious confidence  in  his  talents  and  his  fortunes.  He  was 
beaten  in  a  general  engagement  at  Arcis  on  the  20th  of  March, 
and  his  numbers  in  the  field  were  reduced  to  70,000  men  ;  yet, 
by  a  movement  of  unexampled  boldness,  he  threw  himself  with 
the  main  body  of  his  army  in  rear  of  the  vast  allied  force  then 
collected  on  the  Marne,  on  the  22d.  The  congress  at  Chatillon 
had  broken  up  on  the  19th,  and  Napoleon's  minister  had  returned 
with  their  just  and  firm  decision  upon  the  only  terms  admissible. 
Now,  therefore,-  it  was,  that,  in  the  hope  he  should  astonish  and 
confuse  their  generals,  as  he  often  had  done  by  an  audacity  of 
manoeuvre  that  would  paralyze  the  confidence  of  their  soldiers, 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  171 

he  marched  on  Vitry  and  St.  Dizier,  and  exclaimed  with  a 
daring  vaunt,  "  I  shall  be  at  Vienna  before  they  will  be  in  Paris." 
The  allied  commanders  were  not  moved  by  this  desperate  act 
of  folly.  They  only  followed  his  march  with  cavalry ;  and 
rapidly  concentrating  their  forces  at  Chalon,  they  marched  on 
Paris.  The  weak  corps  of  Marmont  and  Mortier  upon  the 
Marne  were  driven  back  into  the  capital ;  and,  upon  the  29th  of 
March,  Paris  was  invested  on  the  northern  side  by  the  grand 
armies  of  the  allied  monarchs.  Marmont  had  more  than  15,000 
regular  troops  in  that  city ;  the  gensdarmerie,  the  national  guard, 
and  retired  military,  would  have  more  than  doubled  that  amount 
of  armed  combatants.  However,  upon  the  30th,  after  a  short 
combat,  the  allies  established  themselves  on  tlie  heights  of 
Belle-vue ;  and  Joseph  Buonaparte  the  regent  having  quitted  his 
charge,  Paris  capitulated.  The  barriers  were  given  over  to  the 
allies  the  same  evening,  and'in  the  night  the  regular  troops  of 
the  French  retired.  According  to  the  stipulation,  they  marched 
out  with  their  artillery.  The  day  following  the  allied  sovereigns 
entered  the  city,  and  were  received  by  the  inhabitants  with 
cheers  and  contentment. 

The  march  of  the  allies  on  Paris  was  discovered  by  Buona- 
parte on  the  26th,  owing  to  an  affair  of  posts  at  St.  Dizier  with 
the  troops  that  had  followed  his  route.  It  exceedingly  perplexed 
him.  He  decided  to  countermarch  on  Paris ;  but  Vitry  on  his 
direct  road  was  garrisoned  by  Prussians,  and  therefore  he  had 
to  conduct  his  army  by  a  circuitous  route  150  miles.  He  trav- 
elled forwards  himself  by  post,  and  arrived  within  ten  miles  of 
the  capital  on  the  31st;  and  there  he  was  informed  that  it  was 
already  in  pos-session  of  the  enemy.  He  hastened  back  to  Fon- 
tainbleau,  and  collected  at  that  point  all  the  troops  which  he 
could  muster.  Upon  the  3d  of  April  he  would  have  again 
advanced  towards  Paris ;  but  a  decree  of  the  conservative  senate, 
passed  on  the  2d  of  April,  had  already  decided  ujx)n  his  position. 
That  body,  finding  that  the  allied  powers  would  no  longer  treat 
with  Buonaparte,  or  recognize  him  politically  as  the  ruler  of 
Prance,  formally  pronounced  his  deposition.  By  this  act  tlie 
nation  and  the  army  were  nhsolved  from  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  their  late  emperor ;  and  the  confidence  of  tliose  suj)erior 
officers  and  civil  functionaries,  who  had  to  this  moment  faithfully 
adhered  to  him,  was  at  once  destroyetl. 

Thus,  upon  all  sides  pressed  to  submit,  and  plainly  deserted 
by  all  those  whose  interests  mu.st  have  been  the  inevitable 
sacrifice  of  any  continued  attachment  to  his  fortunes,  he  sullenly 
acquiesced  in  the  decree  of  the  senate;. 

By  a  generous  arrangement  of  the  allied  sovereigns,  the 
island  of  Elba  was  secured  to  him  as  a  place  of  retreat  in  inde- 


172  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

pendent  sovereignty  ;  and  he  was  accompanied  to  this  little  and 
secluded  kingdom  by  a  small  body  of  veteran  soldiers,  wrhose 
passion  for  war,  and  whose  renown  and  life,  seemed  only  capable 
of  being  retained  and  enjoyed  in  the  presence  of  their  idol. 

The  position  of  all  those  powers  who  had  thus  punished  the 
crimes  and  confined  the  ambition  of  the  greatest  military  despot 
that  ever  trampled  upon  tlie  rights  of  nations  and  the  liappiness 
of  man,  was  at  this  moment  a  proud  one :  that  of  England  pre- 
eminently so.  Tlic  standards  of  northern  Europe  were  planted 
in  the  squares  of  Paris.  The  British  flag  was  wavmg  in  the 
market-places  of  Bordeiiux  and  Toulouse ;  and  the  baimers  of 
Portugal  and  Spain  were  floating  calmly  on  the  plains  of  southern 
France. 

Such  were  the  brilliant  results  of  England's  long  and  honor- 
able struggle  with  that  stern  and  tyrannous  power  which  over- 
shadowed Europe,  and  by  which '  Britain,  as  the  strong  and 
sacred  asylum  of  true  liberty,  was  hated  with  immitigable 
hatred. 

To  maintain  the  best  interests  of  England  and  of  the  troubled 
world,  the  supreme  Disposer  of  human  events  provided  in  mercy 
a  mighty  champion.  With  a  trust  in  God  and  the  good  cause, 
Wellington  stood  early  fortii.  He  contemplated  the  giant  height 
of  the  French  military  power  with  an  unshrinking  eye,  with  an 
undazzled  mind,  and  with  a  fearless  heart. 

The  defence  of  Portugal  was  the  deliverance  of  all  Europe  : 
for  when  the  nations  beheld  Wellington,  with  so  small  an  army 
of  Britons,  and  with  allies  regarded  hitherto  as  so  despicable, 
defy,  resist,  and  beat  back  a  host  of  disciplined  and  brave  French 
troops,  led  on  by  three  marshals  of  France,  their  hearts  swelled, 
and  their  tongues  were  loosened,  and  they  cried  out  to  be  led 
again  to  battle.  With  new  heart,  and  with  new  liope,  they 
seized  their  arms;  and  the  good  cause  advanced  and  prospered 
till  the  capital  of  France  was  taken,  and  the  tyrant  was  de- 
throned. From  the  moment  that  Wellington  entered  France 
(and  his  were  the  first  colors  planted  upon  this  sacred  teriitory), 
he  had  contrived  with  such  wisdom  and  virtue  to  separate  in  the 
minds  of  his  soldiers  the  hostility  tliey  might  feel  towards  Napo- 
leon from  those  sentiments  witli  which  tlicy  were  bound  as 
brave  men  and  good  soldiers  to  consider  and  treat  the  inhab- 
itants of  France,  that  he  succeeded  entirely  in  restraining  by 
principle,  or  chaining  up  by  discipline,  those  natural  feeling's 
of  revenge,  which,  but  for  their  noble  and  humane  commander, 
the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese  might  have  been  tempted  to 
indulge.  At  Toulouse,  therefore,  and  wherever  indeed  he 
moved,  lord  Wellington  was  approached  by  the  people  with 
affection,  and  considered  with  liigh  honor. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  173 

The  events  in  Catalonia  and  Valencia  during  the  spring  of 
this  year  were  inconseciiient.  Sucliet  sent  another  reinforce- 
ment to  tiie  armies  in  France  early  in  March,  and  was  therefore 
connpellcd  to  evacuate  or  destroy  several  strongholds;  but  he 
still  maintained  a  position  behind  Figueras  with  the  troops 
which  yet  remained  to  him.  The  Spaniards  had  recovered  the 
fortresses  of  J-erida,  Mequinenza,  and  Monzon  by  stratagem, 
which  their  possession  of  a  French  cipher,  communicated  by  an 
officer  that  dcsortod  to  them,  enabled  them  (o  effect,  wilii  little 
difficulty,  in  tlic  middle  of  February.  But  the  governor  of 
Tortosa  escaped  their  artifice  by  a  wary  test,  and  thus  preserved 
his  own  fortress  and  that  of  Murviedro.  However,  in  the  middle 
of  March,  Buonnpurte,  finding  l^p  could  not  detach  Spain  from 
her  alliance  with  England  through  the  medium  of  his  royal 
prisoner  and  dupe  Ferdinand,  determined  to  restore  him  to  his 
people  without  ajiy  conditions.  Ferdinand  entered  Spain  by 
Catalonia ;  and  travelled  slowly  by  Gcrona  to  Zarngossa,  where 
he  made  a  short  sojourn,  and  thence  to  Valencia,  where  he  abode 
for  some  weeks  before  he  pa&sed  on  to  his  capital.  Everywhere 
his  devoted  subjects  crowded  uixin  his  path,  and  flocked  to  his 
presence  with  loud  and  loyal  acclamations.  His  name  had  been 
a  watchword  and  a  battle-word  for  many  trying  and  miserable 
years.  The  king  cf  Spain  was  now  placed  in  a  difficult  position. 
The  sceptre  swaye<l  by  the  caprice  of  a  multitude  proves  always 
an  iron  rod,  with  which  the  best  and  wisest  are  oppressed.  Injus- 
tice and  oppression  are  the  sure  fruits  of  popular  clamor  and 
popular  prejudice,  whenever  they  can  sj^eak  and  act  by  the 
voice  and  hand  of  power. 

The  constitution,  and  its  provisions  as  pnxrlaimed  and  advo- 
cated by  the  cortez,  were  obno.xious  to  the  great  body  of  the 
Spanish  people.  They  were  not  able  to  value  aright  the  privi- 
leges conferred  upon  them ;  and  they  clamored  for  the  disso- 
lution of  the  cortez,  and  for  the  punishment  of  its  most  worthy 
members.  Evil  counsellors  gathered  fast  around  the  re.'^tored 
monarch,  and  by  flatteries  and  fal.-;ehoo<ls  they  cheated  his  un- 
derstanding, roused  his  prejudices,  and  hardened  him  to  jwrse- 
cutions  which  were  cruel  and  most  umiuTitod  by  the  unhappy 
objects  of  them.  However  we  may  condemn  this  conduct, 
Jiowever  much  it  is  to  be  deplored,  yet  the  plain  truth  was  this; 
the  speculative  men  who  had  framed  and  advocated  all  the 
enactments  of  the  new  constitution  had,  by  many  and  swee|)ing 
changes,  disturbed  the  habits  and  offended  the  prejudices  of  tlie 
common  people.  Those  improvements  in  their  |)olitical  con- 
dition which,  brought  forward  gradually,  would  have  elevated 
and  blessed  them,  they  naturally  rejected  then;  because  they 
could  not,  as  vet,  understand  the  value  of  these  proflercd  boons, 
V2 


1T4  MILITARY  IVIEMOIBS  OP 

for  wliich  they  had  never  asked,  and  whicli  they  never  therefore 
had  desired.  They  were  not  prepared  for  a  government  truly 
free ;  and  the  theorists  wlio  would  liavc  bestowed  it  had  outrun 
their  spirit  and  their  wishes,  and  would  have  made  them  turbu- 
lent and  miserable.  Under  these  circumstances,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  the  king  and  his  advisers  dissolved  the  cortez,  and 
that  the  old  despotism  of  the  Spanish  crown  was  fully  restored, 
without  one  single  amelioration  for  the  people,  or  one  softening 
restraint  upon  its  exercise. 

It  will  remain,  however,  to  the  end  of  time,  an  imlelible  dis- 
grace upon  the  government  of  Ferdinand,  tliat,  instead  of  at 
once  according  an  amnesty  for  all  acts  and  opinions  done  and 
uttered  by  those  who  had  so  faithfully  labored  in  the  cause  of 
Spain,  the  members  of  the  regency,  and  many  distinguished 
patriots  of  the  late  cortez,  were  banished,  cast  into  dungeons,  or 
in  other  modes  punished  and  oppressed. 

A  happy  and  an  honorable  contrast  to  this  wretched  conduct 
was  exhibited  by  that  branch  of  the  Bourbons  whom  late  events 
had  suddenly  recalled  to  the  throne  of  France.  The  circum- 
stances and  spirit  of  the  two  countries  were  in  truth  widely  dif- 
ferent; but  never,  perhaps,  was  a  better  or  more  conciliatory 
disposition  manifested  by  any  man  upon  ascending  the  throne  of 
his  fathers,  than  that  of  Louis  XVIII. 


CHAP.  XV. 

,  THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON  VISITS  PARIS  AND  iMADRID. TAKES  LEAVE  OF 

THE  ARMY  ANDRETURNS  TO  ENGLAND. HIS  RKCEPTION. REPAIRS  AGAIN 

TO  PARIS  AS  AMBASSADOR. PROCEEDS  TO  THE  CONGRESS    OF  VIENNA  AS 

PLENIPOTENTIARY. THE    STATE   OF    FRANCr:. THE     RETURN     OF     BUO- 
NAPARTE.  THE  RENEWAL    OF   HOSTILITIES. IIIE    CAMPAIGN    IN    FI.A.N- 

DERS. THE  VICTORY  OF  WATERLOO. 

The  severe  labors  of  his  high  command  being  now  brought  to 
a  glorious  conclusion,  lord  Wellington  left  Toulouse,  on  the  night 
of  the  ;JOth  of  April,  for  Paris. 

He  reached  the  French  capital  on  tlie  4th  of  May,  and  was 

eceived  by  the  sovereigns,  statesmen,  and  generals  then  at  the 

court  of  Louis  XVIIF.  witli  great  consideration  and  regard.  * 

The  fame  of  his  generous  conduct  in  the  south  of  France  had 
preceded  him,  and  the  citizens  of  Paris,  wherever  he  was  recog- 
nized, paid  liim  great  honor  and  respect. 

His  elevation  to  the  dignity  of  an  EnolisJi  dukedom  was  here 
made  known;  and  it  may  be  remarked,  tliat  he  had  already 
received  the  insignia  of  everv  distinguished  order  in  Europe. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON  17* 

The  duke  quitted  Paris  on  the  10th  of  May,  and,  passing  four 
days  at  Toulouse,  repaired  to  Madrid,  where  Ferdinand  con- 
firmed all  the  honors  which  the  cortez  had  conferred  upon  him, 
and  created  Jiim  captain-general  of  Spain.  He  left  Madrid  on 
the  5th  of  June,  reached  Bfjrdeaux  upon  the  10th,  reviewed  the 
troops,  anl  tirade  arrangements  for  their  embarkation.  Upon 
tlie  14th  of  June,  the  duke  of  Wellington  finally  took  leave  of 
the  army  at  Bordcau.x.  His  order  of  thanks  is  remarkable  for 
the  contrast  which  it  presents  to  those  inflated  addresses  by 
which  the  vanity  and  the  passions  of  Buonaparte's  soldiers  were 
flattered  and  nourished.    We  transcribe  it — 

"Adjutant-General's  Office, 
"  G.  O.  Bordeaux,  14lh  of  June,  1814. 

"  The  commander  of  the  forces,  bemg  upon  the  point  of  re- 
turning to  England,  takes  this  opportunity  of  congratulating  the 
army  upon  the  recent  events  which  have  restored  peace  to  their 
country,  and  to  the  world. 

"The  share  which  the  British  army  has  had  in  producing 
those  events,  and  the  high  character  with  which  the  army  will 
quit  this  country,  must  be  equally  satisfactory  to  every  individual 
belonging  to  it,  as  they  are  to  the  commander  of  the  forces ;  and 
he  trusts  that  the  troops  will  continue  the  same  good  conduct  to 
the  last 

"  The  commander  of  the  forces  once  more  requests  the  army 
to  accept  his  thanks. 

"Although  circumstances  may  alter  the  relations  in  which  he 
has  stood  towards  them  for  .some  years,  so  much  to  his  satisfac- 
tion, he  assures  them  he  will  never  cease  to  feel  the  warmest 
interest  in  their  welfare  and  honor;  and  that  he  will  be  at  all 
times  happy  to  be  of  any  service  to  those  to  whose  conduct,  dis- 
cipline, and  gallantry,  their  country  is  so  much  indebted. 

^Signed)       '     "  E.  M.  Pakenham,  A.  G." 

The  Duke  landed  at  Dover  on  the  23d  of  June,  under  a  salute 
from  the  batteries,  and  proceeded  instantly  to  Ix3ndon. 

As  his  carriage  {)a.s.sed  up  Parliament  Street,  ho  was  recog- 
nized, and  the  people  ran  upon  his  path  with  shouts  of  admira- 
tion and  welcome. 

After  a  short  interview  with  his  family,  he  hastened  to  Ports- 
mouth. Here  the  prince  regent  received  him  with  every  mark 
of  true  respect  and  cordial  attection  which  a  prince  could  bestow. 

These  distinctions  gave  him  honor  not  only  before  England, 
but  in  the  face  of  Europe ;  for  the  emperor  of  Russia  and  the 
king  of  Prussia  were  at  tjiat  periotl  the  guests  of  the  English 
Court 


176  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

Upon  the  28th  of  June,  tlie  duke  of  Wellington,  for  the  first 
time,  took  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Lords.  The  peers  assembled 
in  great  numbers  to  do  honor  to  his  introduction.  Upon  this 
memorable  occasion  the  duke  appeared  in  a  field-marshal's  uni- 
form, with  the  insignia  of  tlie  garter,  and  was  introduced  to  the 
house  by  the  dukes  of  Beaufort  and  of  Richmond. 

He  had  left  his  native  country,  five  years  before,  a  commoner ; 
those  years  he  had  passed  in  camps ;  and  now,  at  his  first  appear- 
ance in  the  house  of  lords,  his  various  patents  of  viscount,  earl, 
marquis,  and  duke,  were  read  upon  the  same  day. 

The  lady  Mornington,  his  mother,  was  present;  the  duchess 
of  Wellington  was  also  present. 

He  was  addressed  by  the  lord  chancellor,  and  received  the 
thanks  and  congratulations  of  the  house  "on  his  return  from  his 
command  on  the  continent,  and  for  the  great,  signal,  and  eminent 
services  which  he  had  so  repeatedly  rendered  therein  to  his 
majesty  and  to  the  public." 

The  duke  was  sensibly  affected,  and  replied  under  an  embar- 
rassment of  feeling  he  could  with  difficulty  control.  Nothing 
could  be  more  dignified  and  modest  than  his  reply ;  nor  did  he 
fail  to  point  attention  to  the  valor  and  exertions  of  that  army 
which  he  had  the  honor  to  command. 

The  House  of  Commons  also  appointed  a  deputation  to  wait 
upon  the  duke  of  Wellington  with  like  congratulations;  and  he 
attended  the  house  in  person  to  return  thanks  to  that  assembly. 
The  1st  of  July  was  fixed  for  this  noble  ceremony.  When  it 
was  stated  to  the  house,  that  in  consequence  of  their  intimation, 
the  duke  of  Wellington  was  in  attendance,  and  when  the  speaker 
put  the  question,  "  Js  it  the  pleasure  of  the  house  that  his  grace 
be  called  in  ]"  a  loud  and  universal  "  ay  !"  rung  through  the  hall. 
On  his  entrance  all  the  members  uncovered,  rose,  and  enthusias- 
tically cheered  him.  In  his  address,  as  in  his  reply  to  the  lords, 
he  dwelt  forcibly  on  the  zealous  co-operation  and  assistance  of 
his  gallant  friends,  the  general  officers,*  and  tlie  bravery  of  the 
officers  and  troops  of  tiic  armies.  This  speech  was  received 
with  the  loudest  cheers,  and  followed  by  an  admirable  address 
from  the  speaker,  of  which  the  following  extracts  merit  very 
particular  attention. 

"  It  is  not,"  said  the  speaker,  "  the  grandeur  of  military  suc- 
cess which  has  alone  fixed  our  admiration,  or  commanded  our 
applause ;  it  has  been  that  generous  and  lofty  spirit  which  in- 
spired your  troops  with  unbounded  confidence,  and  taught  them 
to  know  tliat  the  day  of  battle  was  always  a  day  of  victory ;  that 

*  Upon  all  these,  honors  and  rewards  which  they  bad  well  earned  were 
gratefully  bestowed. 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  VTT^ 

moral  courage  and  enduring  fortitude,  which,  in  perilous  times, 
when  gloom  and  doubt  had  beset  ordinary  minds,  stood  neverthe- 
less unshaken  ;  and  that  ascendency  of  character,  which,  uniting 
the  energies  of  jealous  and  rival  nations,  enabled  you  to  wield  at 
will  the  fate  and  fortunes  of  mighty  empires. 

"  It  now  only  remains  that  we  congratulate  your  grace  on  the 
high  and  important  mission  on  wliicii  you  are  about  to  proceed 
and  we  doubt  not  that  the  same  splendid  talents,  so  conspicuous 
in  war,  will  maintain  with  equal  authority,  firmness,  and  temper 
our  national  honor  and  interests  in  peace." 

When  the  duke  retired,  all  the  members  again  rose,  uncovered, 
and  warmly  cheered  him. 

On  Saturday,  tlie  9th  of  July,  the  corporation  of  London 
entertained  the  duke  at  a  grand  banquet,  prepared  with  great 
cost  and  magnificence,  and  presented  him  with  the  freedom  of 
the  city  in  a  gold  l)ox,  and  with  a  splendid  sword.  Here,  as 
upon  all  other  occasions,  he  made  grateful  allusions  to  the  sup- 
port of  his  officers,  and  the  valor  and  discipline  of  the  troops. 
When  he  received  the  sword,  he  declared  with  particular  energy 
his  readiness  to  employ  it  in  the  service  of  his  king  and  country, 
should  it  unfortunately  happen  that  the  general  wish  of  the 
nations  of  Europe  for  a  permanent  peace  should  be  disappointed. 
This  faithful  pledge  he  was  soon  and  seriously  called  upon  to 
redeem. 

His  stay  in  England  was  short;  but  it  was  marked  by  every 
expression  of  hearty  admiration,  and  true  attachment,  which  a 
people  could  show.  Wherever  he  went,  the  streets  were  throng- 
ed; the  windows  were  full  of  animated  and  smiling  faces;  boys 
clustered  upon  the  house-tops;  and  mothers  lifted  up  their  infant 
eons,  that  they  might  look  at  the  man  whom  the  wiiole  country 
honorecl. 

He  had  already  been  appointed  ambassador  extraordinary  and 
plenijxjtentiary  to  the  court  of  France  ;  and  upon  tlie  8th  of 
August  he  loll  town  for  tlie  continent  In  his  way  to  Paris  ho 
visited  the  Netherlands,  and  carefully  examined  the  frontier  for- 
tresses upon  that  line,  in  company  with  the  prince  of  (Irange. 
On  the  24th  of  August  he  was  presented  to  I.ouis  XVII I.,  dchv 
ered  his  credentials  as  ambassador,  and  took  up  his  residence  iu 
Paris. 

The  principles  and  feelings  of  revolutionized  France  were  of 
twenty  years'  growth.  The  youth  of  France,  it  is  true,  knew 
little  of  the  revolution  or  of  the  republic,  hut  of  the  Btiurbons 
they  knew  nothing.  Th^y  had  been  for  the  most  part  educated 
in  military  schools;  had  lived  under  a  martial  autocracy,  and 
had  imbibed  a  miliUiry  spirit 

There  wcro  now  scattered  over  the  country  numbers  of  dis- 


178  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

banded  and  retired  officers  and  soldiers,  who  had  marched  and 
fought  under  the  imperial  eagles.  These  men,  who  had  been, 
for  the  most  part,  engaged  in  wars  of  aggression,  amid  changes 
of  scene  and  chances  of  plunder,  were  miserable  under  their 
new  and  narrow  circumstances.  Their  habits  were  roving  and 
reckless,  and  they  could  not  endure  a  stationary  dwelling  and 
peaceful  occupations.  With  all  such  of  the  old  army  as  had 
been  retained  under  the  new  government,  it  was  as  bad  or  worse. 
They  looked  back  upon  their  stern  and  warlike  emperor  as  the 
soldier's  friend,  and  they  despised  the  unambitious  and  peaceful 
Louis.  They  hated  the  inactivity  and  the  discipline  of  garrisons 
and  barracks,  and  they  panted  for  the  field  and  the  bivouac. 
They  thought  only  of  the  excitement  and  the  rewards  of  war- 
fare, not  upon  its  sufferings  or  its  horrors — of  victory,  not  of 
defeat — of  glory,  not  of  the  grave. 

It  is  little  to  be  wondered  at,  that  as  a  longing  for  the  return 
of  the  emperor  was  cherished  by  so  many,  an  expectation  of  it 
should  be  widely  entertained,  and  that  conspiracies  to  prepare  it 
should  be  secretly  engendered.  At  first  the  initiated  affected  a 
sort  of  mystery,  established  signals  and  words  whereby  the  faith- 
ful Napoleonist  might  know  each  other,  and  wore  secret  emblems 
of  brotherhood :  but,  after  a  time,  they  grew  so  carelessly  or  inten- 
tionally bold,  that  they  openly  spoke  and  jested  about  the  return 
of  spring  and  of  the  emperor.  He  came.  He  knew  that  war, 
terrible  and  unrelenting,  would  be  the  immediate  and  melancholy 
consequence  of  his  return,  to  France  herself,  while  he  as  an  in- 
dividual would  be  the  solitary  mark  and  sole  object  of  the  gene- 
ral armament  and  undivided  hostility  of  all  Europe..  He  knew, 
too,  that  civil  war  would  be  another  result  of  his  return ;  but 
with  all  this  knowledge,  he  said,  he  loved  France,  and  that  France 
was  dear  to  him :  tlierefore  he  welcomed  the  proposals  of  those 
conspirators  who  paved  the  way  for  his  reappearance,  broke  the 
convention  which  established  him  in  the  sovereignty  of  Elba, 
and  escaped  from  that  island. 

He  landed  near  Cannes,  on  the  1st  of  March,  with  a  detach- 
ment of  his  guard,  which  had  accompanied  him  to  Elba,  and 
immediately  commenced  his  march  to  the  capital.  An  address 
to  the  army  had  been  prepared,  and  was  distributed  wherever  he 
came.  It  was  a  loud  clear  war-denouncing  trumpet,  and  every- 
where the  excited  soldiers,  whether  old  or  young,  answered  the 
violent  and  welcome  sound,  with  the  well-knov/n  war-cry  of 
"Vive  I'Empereur!" 

The  defection  of  the  army  was  almost  universal,  the  excep-  . 
tions  being  confined  principally  to  officers  of  strict  and  honorable 
feeling,  who  would  not  violate  their  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
king.     We  speak  of  superior  officers,  and  men  of  influence  and 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  179 

in  authority.  The  captains  and  subalterns  of  the  regiments,  who 
had  the  same  conscientious  feelinf»-,  could  only  manifest  their 
fidelity  by  quitting  their  corps.  Tiiat  few  among  them  enter- 
tained such  a  sentiment  and  made  this  .sacrifice  of  their  interest, 
is  notorious. 

In  three  short  weeks,  Napoleon  was  again  seated  on  the  im- 
perial throne ;  was  again  coming  forth  to  review  troops,  and  talk 
of  glory;  and  those  fickle  people  who  had  crowded  on  his  path 
as  he  quitted  France,  that  they  might  insult  him  with  impreca- 
tions, and  who  had  just  suffered  him  to  retrace  the  same  route, 
not  only  without  rcoistance,  but  with  noisy  encouragement,  were 
again  his  abject  and  his  willing  slaves.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
a  man,  who  had  so  many  reasons  for  despising  mankind  as  Napo- 
leon, should  have  trampled  upon  their  rights  and  their  happiness 
with  an  indifference  at  once  contemptuous  and  selfish. 

While  this  sudden,  magical,  and  bloodless  change  of  sove- 
reigns was  effected  in  France,  the  powers  who  signed  the  treaty 
of  Paris  were  assembled  at  the  congress  at  Vienna.  The  duke 
of  Wellington  was  there  as  the  plenipotentiary  for  Great  Britain, 
having  quitted  Paris  for  that  capital,  on  the  24tli  of  January, 
1815.  The  very  moment  the  ministers  of  the  high  allied  powers 
there  assembled,  obtained  information  that  Buonajxirte  had  escaped 
from  Elba,  and  appeared  in  France,  and  before  the  success  of  his 
enterprise  was  known,  they  made  a  solemn  declaration  of  their 
sentiments  and  intentions.  In  this  document  they  set  forth,  that 
Buonaparte  had  manifested  to  the  universe,  tiiat  there  could  be 
neither  peace  nor  truce  with  him,  and  tiiat  ho  had  placed  him- 
self without  the  pale  of  civil  and  social  relations,  as  an  enemy 
and  disturber  of  the  tranquillity  of  the  world.  They  declared, 
therefore,  that  they  were  firmly  resolved  to  maintain  entire  the 
treaty  of  Paris,  of  May  .'J'Jth,  1814,  and  that  they  would  employ 
all  their  means,  and  unite  all  their  cff'orts,  that  the  general  peace, 
the  object  of  the  wishes  of  Europe,  and  the  constant  purpose  of 
their  labors,  might  not  again  be  troubled. 

The  allies  supixjrtcd  tliis  declaration  by  a  million  of  men  in 
arms. 

Buonaparte  was  in  a  palace,  and  u]>on  a  throne ;  but  he  felt 
himself  regarded  by  the  kings  and  courts  of  Europe  as  an  ad- 
venturer and  an  outlaw;  and  he  knew  that,  by  all  the  better 
portion  of  the  French  people,  he  wiis  rather  tolerated  than  cliosen. 
His  only  hope,  and  all  iiis  hope,  was  in  the  courage  of  a  devoted 
soldiery;  the  power  of  his  great  genius  for  war;  and  that  for- 
tune of  his  star,  in  wliich  he  confided  witii  a  siqwrstition  that 
always  imparted  a  remarkable  energy  to  actions,  which  he 
seems  often  to  have  jwrformed  rather  from  secret  and  sudden 
impulse  than  from  any  deliberate  e.xercise  of  judgment. 


180  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

He  was  now  again  in  possession  of  all  the  military  resources 
of  France ;  but  there  was  a  French  court,  and  a  king  of  France, 
at  Ghent  in  the  Netherlands,  and  the  insecurity  of  his  position 
was  plain.  He  saw  Europe  hastening  to  arms  for  the  avowed 
purpose  of  deposing  him.  Every  thing,  therefore,  which  it  was 
possible  for  him  to  say,  do,  or  promise,  by  which  he  could  recover 
popularity  with  those  various  factions  in  France  which  hated  his 
old  system,  and  that  great  body  of  the  nation  which  manifested 
a  tired  indifference  to  his  rule,  was  at  once  thought  upon  and 
acted  out.  He  assembled  a  legislative  body,  composed  of  men 
of  all  parties,  and  gave  the  country  a  new  constitution.  It  was 
never  designed  to  last  long,  but  it  answered  in  some  feeble  man- 
ner the  purpose  of  the  moment.  It  was  something  for  the  people 
to  talk  about,  something  new ;  and  to  make  it  amusing  to  the 
Parisians,  it  was  to  be  declared,  accepted,  and  sworn  to,  in 
solemn  assembly,  with  ceremonies  of  great  splendor.  For  this 
purpose,  a  temporary  amphitheatre  was  erected  in  the  Champ  de 
Mars,  capable  of  containing  about  15,000  persons:  here  a  throne 
was  to  be  raised  and  an  altar.  The  plain  was  to  be  filled  with 
cavalry,  troops  of  the  line,  and  national  guards ;  eagles  were  to 
be  distributed,  and  from  the  sloping  banks  around,  the  people 
were  to  be  diverted  with  the  spectacle.  This  great  convocation 
was  to  be  called  the  "  Champ  de  Mai." 

While  the  preparations  for  this  pageant  were  in  progress, 
the  undivided  attention  of  Napoleon  was  constantly  directed  to 
the  organization  of  the  army.  The  fortresses  were  garrisoned  ; 
the  arsenals  were  filled  with  stores ;  and  the  clothing,  equipment, 
and  arming  of  the  now  levies  were  carried  on  with  a  prodigious 
activity.  By  the  first  of  June,  he  had  375,000  men  under  arms, 
exclusive  of  a  national  guard  composed  of  200  battalions ;  and 
he  had  remounted  a  large  and  admirable  force  of  cavalry  with 
incredible  expedition. 

At  the  grand  ceremony  of  the  Champ  de  Mai,  which  took 
place  on  the  31st  of  May,  Napoleon,  w'nen  he  reviewed  the 
troops,  promised  to  have  half  a  million  of  men  under  arms  in  a 
few  weeks,  exclusive  of  the  national  guards ;  and  pledged  him- 
self that  if  the  allies  brought  600,000  men  against  him,  he 
would  oppose  them  with  two  millions. 

Meantime  the  allies  made  great  and  prompt  exertions.  From 
the  Vistula,  from  the  Danube,  and  from  Italy,  the  troops  of  Rus- 
sia and  of  Austria  were  directed  upon  the  frontiers  of  France. 
The  advanced  corps  of  Prussia  had  already  entered  Flanders ; 
and  an  army  of  English,  Belgian,  and  Hanoverian  soldiers  was 
assembled  in  the  Netherlands,  under  the  immediate  command 
of  the  duke  of  Wellington.  JSut  the  army  of  native  English 
was  not  large  ;  neither  was  it  to  be  compared  in  its  composition 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELUNGTON.  ^J^l 

with  that  which  invaded  France  in  the  preceding  ^'ear.  Many 
of  the  finest,  most  eflbctive,  and  most  experienced  mfantry  regi- 
ments of  that  iymy  had  been  sent  to  America ;  and  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  English  force  now  sent  to  Flanders  consisted  of  young 
second  battalions.  However,  they  were  English  in  heart  and 
spirit ;  and  were  supported  by  a  numerous  and  noble  cavalry, 
and  an  artillery  not  to  be  surpassed. 

The  duke  of  Wellington  had  arrived^  at  Brussels  from  Vienna 
early  in  April,  and  inimediatoly  concerted  his  plan  of  operations 
with  the  Prussian  general.  The  Prussian  troops  were  collected 
on  the  Sarnbre  and  Meuse,  and  occupied  Charleroi,  Namur,  and 
Liege,  TJie  line  of  the  Prussian  cantonments  communicated 
by  its  right  with  the  left  of  the  army  commanded  by  the  duke 
of  Wellington.  Thus  they  were  ready  to  act  in  concert,  whilst, 
at  the  same  time,  each  qpmmander  had  to  provide  for  a  separate 
line  of  operations  connecting  him  on  one  side  with  England,  on 
the  other  by  the  lower  Rhine  with  Prussia. 

To  cover  Brussels  was  a  great  object ;  it  was  also  necessary 
to  guard  the  approaches  from  France  by  Tournay  and  Mons, 
and  to  prevent  any  attack  upon  Ghent  from  Lisle.  All  these 
roads  were  carefully  examined,  and  the  army  of  the  duke  was 
so  disposed  tiiat  any  ollensive  movement  might  be  immediately 
encountered.  Whether  it  would  be  possible  for  the  troops  in 
advance  to  keep  the  enemy  in  check  if  he  came  on  at  any  point 
with  suddenness  and  force,  till  tiie  allied  armies  were  concen- 
trated in  a  position  covering  Brussels,  was  the  great  difficulty. 

France,  on  the  Belgian  frontier,  was  covered  with  fortresses ; 
Belgium  was  naked  and  defenceless;  thus  Napoleon  had  vast 
facilities  for  concealing  tiie  assembly  and  disposition  of  his  force, 
of  whicli  he  availed  liimself  with  great  ability.  In  tlie  second 
week  in  Jime,  troops  began  to  collect  in  and  boliind  tliesc  for- 
tresses in  considerable  niunbers.  By  forced  marches  Buonaparte 
suddenly  concentrated  liis  army  in  three  large  divisions,  close 
to  the  frontier,  on  the  night  of  the  14th  of  June.  Of  tliis  army 
Soult  was  the  major-general.  It  consisted  of  five  corps  of  in- 
fantry ;  of  the  imperial  guard;  of  four  corps  of  cavalry;  it 
marched  with  a  field  artillery  of  :Jo()  pieces,  and  it  numbered 
130,000  fighting  men.  The  infantry  corps  were  commanded  by 
generals  d'Erlon,  Reille,  Vandanime,  Girard,  and  Ijobau ;  the 
cavalry  corjw  by  generals  Pajol,  E.vcelmans,  Kellerman,  and 
Milhaud.  Marshal  Ney  commanded  in  the  centre;  Jerome 
Buonaparte  on  the  left;  marshal  Grouchy  on  the  right. 

The  Prussian  anny  consiste<l  of  four  corps,  under  generals 
Ziethen,  Bulow,  Borstel,  and  Thielman,  conmianded  m  chief 
by  murslial  Bluchcr,  and  was  estimate<l  at  100,000  men.  The 
head-(iuarter8  of  Blucher  were  at  Namur. 

Vol.  II.  Q 


182  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

The  army  of  the  duke  of  Wellington  consisted  of  Dutch, 
Belgians,  troops  of  Nassau,  Brunswickers,  Hanoverians,  German 
legion,  and  British,  and  was  computed  under  80,000.  Of  this 
force  only  33,000  were  English.  This  army  was  organized  in 
two  large  corps  of  five  divisions  each  ;  the  first  was  commanded 
by  the  prince  of  Orange ;  the  second  by  lord  Hill.  The  cavalry 
was  under  the  orders  of  the  earl  of  Uxbridge.  The  head-quar- 
ters of  the  duke  of  Wellington  were  at  Brussels.  The  quarters 
of  the  prince  of  Orange  were  at  Braine  le  Compte ;  those  of 
lord  Hill,  at  Grammont ;  the  cavalry,  under  lord  Uxbridge,  was 
cantoned  in  small  towns  and  villages  on  the  right;  and  the 
artillery  was  cantoned  principally  near  Ghent.  Quatre  Bras 
was  the  position  chosen  by  the  duke  of  Wellington  as  the  point 
at  which,  should  the  enemy  advance  on  that  side,  he  was  to  be 
held  in  check  till  the  concentration  of  the  allies.  The  junction, 
be  it  remembered,  was  most  ably  and  certainly  accomplished. 
Nevertheless,  all  that  could  be  done  to  prevent  it,  by  rapidity  of 
movement,  skill  of  manoeuvre,  and  boldness  on  the  field  of  battle, 
was  effected  by  Buonaparte. 

According  to  his  custom,  he  did  not  quit  Paris  till  every 
preparation  for  opening  the  campaign  was  complete,  "I  go," 
said  this  child  and  champion  of  democracy,  as  he  threw  himself 
into  his  carriage,  "  I  go  to  measure  myself  against  Wellington." 
It  was  upon  the  14th  that  he  joined  his  guard ;  and  dated  from 
the  imperial  head-quarters  at  Beaumont  one  of  those  addresses 
of  which  he  was  so  vainly  fond,  and  which  were  certainly  well 
suited  to  inflame  the  ardor  of  an  army  composed  of  French- 
men. It  was  dated  upon  the  anniversary  of  the  battles  of 
Marengo,  and  of  Friedland ;  and  it  reminded  them  of  the  victo- 
ries of  Austerlitz  and  Jena.  Of  the  English,  as  it  could  allude 
to  no  triumph  over  their  arms,  it  spoke  thus : — "  Let  those 
among  you,  who  have  been  prisoners  of  the  English,  detail  to 
you  the  hulks,  and  the  frightful  miseries  which  they  suffered." 
Thus  mortifying  their  vanity  by  bringing  to  their  recollection 
how  ofl:en  they  had  been  vanquished  by  Englishmen,  and  darkly 
insinuating  the  horrors  of  captivity  in  England,  he  appealed  at 
once  to  the  highest  feeling  of  the  soldier,  and  to  the  worst  pas- 
sion of  the  man.  As  the  prisoners  restored  to  France  at  the 
close  of  the  war  had  been  very  numerous,  and  as  they  were  all 
old  soldiers,  the  ranks  of  the  army  now  assembled  contained 
many  of  these  old  campaigners ;  and  this  sentence  of  his  address 
was  admirably  contrived  to  call  fo4h  all  their  courage,  and 
kindle  all  their  revenge. 

At  sunset,  on  the  14th  of  June,  all  was  quiet  upon  the  fron- 
tier ;  and  nothing  had  been  observed  at  the  Prussian  outposts. 
At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  June,  the  French 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLING'l'ON.  183 

columns  were  put  in  motion ;  and  the  Prussian  posts  at  Thuin 
and  Lobez,  on  the  Sambre,  were  attacked  at  daylight. 

A  report  of  this  event  reached  the  duke  of  Wellington  in  the 
evening  of  the  same  day,  and  he  immediately  ordered  the  troops 
to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  for  the  march.  As  soon  as 
intelligence  from  other  quarters  proved  to  him  that  the  enemy's 
movement  upon  Charleroi  was  the  real  attack,  he  put  his  army 
in  motion  to  its  left. 

The  orders  for  this  memorable  march  were  decided  upon  in  a 
ball-room  at  Brussels,  where  the  duke  of  Wellington  was 
present,  and  where,  towards  midniglit,  the  dispatches  confirm- 
atory of  the  enemy's  true  line  of  operation  reached  him.  The 
general  officers  were  quietly  warned,  and  quietly  disappeared 
from  that  assembly,  and  among  them  the  brave  duke  of  Bruns- 
wick. Soon  after  tlie  younger  officers  were  summoned  from 
the  dance.  Tlie  troops  were  already  musteriiig;  and  before  the 
day  broke  all  were  marching  to  the  field  of  honor,  and  many  to 
an  early  grave. 

The  enemy  drove  the  Pru.'jsiun  outposts  from  the  Sambre  on 
the  15th  ;  and  general  Ziethen,  who  commanded  the  corps  at 
Charleroi,  retired  slowly  and  in  good  order  ujxjn  Fleurus.  Mar- 
shal Blucher  concentrated  the  Prussian  army  upon  Sombref 
with  all  possible  activity,  and  occupied  llie  villages  of  St. 
Amnnd  nnd  I  .igny.  in  front  nf  that  position.  Thn  liead-quarters 
of  Buonaparte  were  at  Charleroi  on  the  loth.  But  the  French 
troops  under  Ncy  continued  their  march  along  tiie  road  to  Brus- 
sels, and  on  the  same  evening  his  advanced  guard  atfkcked  a 
brigade  of  the  army  of  the  Netherlands  under  the  Prince  de 
Weimar,  p<3stcd  at  Frasnes,  and  forced  it  back  to  the  farm-house 
on  the  same  road,  called  Jjos  Quatre  Bras.  At  this  point  the 
roads  from  (charleroi  to  Brussels  and  from  Nivelles  to  Namur, 
intersect  each  other. 

The  prince  of  Orange  immediately  reinforced  the  brigade  of 
the  prince  of  Weimar  with  that  of  general  Perponcher;  and 
early  in  the  morning  of  the  Kith  recovered  part  of  the  ground 
which  had  been  lost.  Thus  the  communications  leading  from  Ni- 
velles and  Brussels  to  Bliichcr's  position  were  again  cleared.  In 
the  mean  time  the  whole  army  of  the  duke  of  Wellington  was 
marching  upon  Ix-s  Quatre  Bras.  The  fifth  division,  under  Sir 
Thomas  Picton,  reached  this  point  at  about  half-jMist  two  in  Uie 
day,  followed  by  the  corps  of  the  duke  of  Brunswick,  and  after- 
wards by  the  cdnlingciit  of  Na.«sau. 

The  uuke  of  Wellington  was  in  personal  communication  with 
Blucher,  at  Bry,  about  five  miles  to  the  loft  of  Quatre  Bras, 
early  on  the  Kith.  At  that  time  the  enemy  was  not  in  strengtli 
in  the  immediate  front  of  Quatre  Bras ;  but  they  were  in  force 


184  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

between  Frasnes  and  Gosselies,  and  an  attack  upon  that  post' 
was  to  be  expected.  The  activity,  the  skilful  combinations, 
and  admirable  concert  of  the  allied  commanders,  are  thus  evident; 
but,  in  war,  the  value  of  a  few  hours  is  immense, — and  this 
advantage  he  who  originates  offensive  movements  can  almost 
always  command.  Accordingly,  Buonaparte  was  collecting 
heavy  masses  in  front  of  the  Prussian  position,  and  was  pre- 
pared to  assail  it  with  a  great  superiority  of  force  before  the 
fourth  corps  of  the  Prussian  army  under  general  Bulow  had 
joined,  and  before  the  duke  of  Wellington  could  by  any  possi- 
bility afford  marshal  Blucher  the  support  which  he  was  desirous 
to  give  him.  Many  of  the  duke's  troops,  his  cavalry  in  particu- 
lar, had  a  long  distance  to  march,  and  had  not  arrived ;  while 
such  as  were  up,  had  to  maintain  their  position  at  Quatre  Bras, 
where  the  duke  was  present,  against  the  violent  attack  of  a  large 
force  assembled  at  Frasnes  under  marshal  Ney.  Tlie  enemy 
advanced  to  the  attack,  about  three  o'clock,  with  two  heavj* 
columns  of  infantry,  a  large  body  of  horse,  and  a  numerous  and 
powerful  artillery.  The  scene  of  action,  at  Quatre  Bras,  was 
among  little  dales  and  dips  of  ground  and  gentle  slopes,  covered 
with  wheat  and  rye,  which  grows  very  tall. — It  was  a  fine  sum- 
mer afternoon  and  a  fine  evening  !  At  the  commencement  of 
this  contest,  there  were  not  more  than  19,000  of  the  allies  in 
the  field,  and  of  these  only  4500  British  infantry.  These  last, 
and  the  troops  of  the  Brunswick  corps,  were  long  and  severely 
engaged,  and  fought  nobly.  The  enemy  repeatedly  charged 
the  British  infantry  with  strong  and  weighty  bodies  of  cavalry, 
but  was  repulsed  with  the  most  steady  valor.  The  duke  of 
Brunswick  fell  gallantly  fighting  at  the  head  of  his  own  troops. 
The  conduct  of  the  enemy  was  daring  and  resolute,  and  they  at 
first  obtained  some  success  over  the  foreign  cavalry ;  and  their 
own  coming  fast  upon  the  infantry  before  they  had  time  to  form 
squares,  a  part  was  forced  to  retire  into  an  adjoining  wood ;  but 
the  French  were  repulsed. 

Soon  afler  this  period,  the  third  division,  under  general  Alten, 
arrived,  and  were  scarce  posted  before  they  were  fiercely 
attacked.  The  69th  regiment  being  in  square,  was,  by  some 
mistake,  ordered  to  deploy  just  as  the  French  horse  were  coming 
on.  Their  approach,  owing  to  the  position  of  the  ground  and 
the  tall  rye,  was  not  discerned  till  the  dragoons  were  upon  them, 
and  they  lost  one  color  and  many  killed  and  wounded ;  but  the 
enemy  was  driven  off  without  making  any  prisoners,  and,  soon 
afterwards,  from  all  those  advanced  points  upon  the  left  which 
he  had  before  gained.  Being  repulsed  on  the  lefl,  Ney  advanced 
from  the  wood  of  Bossu  against  the  right  of  the  position  of 
Quatre  Bras;  but,  at  this  moment,  the  guards  under  general 


THE  DUKK  OF  WELLINGTON.  185 

Cooke  came  up,  and  joined  battle  just  as  the  Belgians  were 
giving  way ;  and  tliis  attack  was  also  repelled.  Under  the  di- 
rection of  the  duke,  general  Maitland  led  his  brigade  into  the 
wood  in  the  finest  and  most  ardent  manner,  and  the  enemy  was 
driven  back  upon  Frasnes  in  confusion.  The  fighting  on  both 
sides  had  been  desperate,  and  the  loss  was  severe. 

The  28tli,  4-2d,  79tli,  and  92(1  regiments,  and  the  battalion  of 
Hanoverians,  were  mentioned  in  the  disjiatcli,  as  very  highly 
distinguished  by  their  conduct  on  this  day.  The  enemy  were 
very  superior  in  artillery,  and  had  a  most  powerful  cavalry ;  and 
it  was  only  by  great  exertions  that  the  diikc  was  enabled  to 
maintain,  as  he  resolutely  did,  this  imjjortant  position.  Had  the 
French  driven  the  British  from  Quatrc  Bra.s  the  Prussian  right 
would  have  been  turned,  and  the  armies  of  the  duke  and  of  Blu- 
cher  separated ;  but,  in  tiiis  memorable  campaign,  the  line  of 
concerted  operations  was  early  occupied  by  the  allied  command- 
ers, and  maintained  throughout. 

Nevertheless,  the  attack  upon  Blucher  was  so  weighty  and 
fierce,  and  made  with  a  force  «j  superior,  that,  after  a  most  bloody 
and  obstinate  battle,  in  which  the  Prussians  beliaved  nobly,  their 
centre  was  forced,  the  village  of  Ligny  was  taken,  and  a  con- 
siderable body  of  French  cavalry,  with  a  strong  corps  of  infantry, 
had  penetrated  to  the  very  heart  of  the  Prussian  position.  Here 
Blucher,  in  person,  at  the  head  of  his  cavalry,  made  a  most 
heroic  effort  to  re-establish  the  battle,  but  it  failed,  and  the  French 
remained  masters  of  Ligny.  As  the  fourth  corp^,  under  Bulow, 
was  not  up,  and  as  he  had  been  much  weakened  by  heavy  losses, 
Blucher  retired  from  Sombrof  in  the  course  of  the  night,  and 
determined  to  concentrate  his  army  upon  Wavre;  the  enemy 
had  suffered  severely,  and  did  not  pursue  him.  In  fact,  the 
retreat  was  not  known  to  Buonaparte,  for  it  was  dark  when  the 
battle  ceased.  He  was  still  ignorant  of  the  route  which  they  had 
taken  at  twelve  o'clock  on  the  17th,  and  then  ordered  Grouchy 
to  pursue  them  with  32,(KX)  men.  That  general  could  not  get 
his  corps  in  motion  before  three  in  the  atlernoon,  only  reached 
Gemblou.\  that  night,  and  did  not  arrive  belore  Wavre  till  noon 
on  the  18th,  where  he  found  and  attacked  the  Prussian  corps  of 
general  Thielrnan.  The  loss  of  the  Prussians  at  Ligny  amounted 
to  14,()00  men  and  15  pieces  of  artillery. 

The  retreat  of  the  Pru.ssians  and  the  direction  of  it  were  not 
known  to  the  duke  of  Wellington  until  sloven  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  tlie  17th.  Marshal  Blucher  had  sent  an  aid-de-camp 
to  him  with  that  information,  but  he  was  unfortunately  killed. 
These  things  were  ascertained  by  a  patrol,  which  the  duke 
sent  out  to  Sombref  at  daylight;  and  which,  advanciu"^  beyond 
that  place,  and  finding  all  quiet,  discovered  how  little  of  the 
Q2 


186  MtUTARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

Prusgian  position  had  ever  been  carried  by  the  French.  They  had 
fallen  back  most  leisurely,  and  their  rear-guard  had  not  evacuated 
Bry  till  throe  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  duke  of  Wellington 
had,  by  this  time,  collected  his  own  army  at  Quatre  Bras,  and 
was  prepared  to  have  maintained  that  position ;  but  this  move- 
ment of  the  Prussians  made  a  corresponding  one  necessary  on 
his  part. 

He  accordingly  retired  by  Genappe  upon  Waterloo,  aboiit  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  17th.  This  march  was  executed 
in  so  leisurely  a  manner,  and  in  such  firm  order,  that  the  enemy 
did  not  attempt  to  molest  it;  but  he  followed  the  rear  cavalry, 
under  lord  Uxbridge,  with  a  large  body  of  horse.  As  the  ad- 
vanced squadrons  of  the  French  debouched  from  the  bridge  and 
village  of  Genappe,  an  affair  of  cavalry  occurred,  in  which  a 
corps  of  French  imperial  lancers,  having  repelled  an  attack  of 
the  7th  hussars,  was  vigorously  checked  and  severely  handled 
by  the  first  regiment  of  life-guards,  with  which  corps  lord  Ux- 
bridge e.xecuted  a  very  decisive  charge.  It  was  late  when  the 
troops  reached  their  ground.  The  weatlier  was  stormy,  with 
heavy  rain,  thunder,  lightning,  and  violent  gusts  of  wind.  The 
bivouac  was  dreary.  The  men  lay  upon  the  wet  earth  or  amid 
the  dripping  corn,  and  longed  impatiently  for  day.  It  came  at 
last,  and  broke  heavily  through  clouds.  The  rain  ceased,  but 
there  was  no  sun  :  no  "  sun  of  Austerlitz"  for  Napoleon  to  allude 
to.  However,  the  calm  sunshine  of  good  hope,  of  a  good  cause, 
and  of  high  resolve,  made  it  light  in  the  breast  of  Wellington. 
The  troops  were  already  in  position,  and  had  taken  up  the  ground 
they  were  to  maintain.  The  whole  French  army,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  force  under  Grouchy,  liad  followed  them,  and  was 
now  in  front,  and  Buonaparte  was  commanding  it  in  person. 

The  position  of  the  allied  troops,  under  the  duke,  was  about 
half  a  league  in  advance  of  Waterloo  and  of  the  forest  of  Soig- 
nies.  The  right  was  thrown  back  to  a  long  ravine  near  Merke 
Braine,  a  small  hamlet,  separated  by  an  extended  plateau  from 
Braine  la  Leud.  This  village  was  also  occupied,  and  a  commu- 
nication thus  maintained  with  a  cross  road  which  leads  to  Brus- 
sels by  Braine  le  Chateau.  Upon  this  were  stationed  two  brigades 
in  observation,  the  one  British,  the  other  Belgian. 

The  left  of  the  allies  extended  to  a  height  above  the  hamlet 
of  Ter  la  Haye,  and  was  protected  by  a  ravine  which  descends 
on  that  side  towards  Ohain,  through  which  place  lay  the  line  of 
communication  with  the  Prussians  at  Wavre.  From  thence  Blu- 
cher  had  promised  to  support  the  duke  with  as  many  troops  as 
might  be  necessary,  if  he  should  be  attacked. 

In  rear  of  the  British  centre  was  the  farm  of  Mont  St.  Jean, 
and  farther  behind,  the  village  of  that  name.    In  rear  of  the 


THE  DUKE  OF  WELLINGTON.  tBT 

French  centre  was  the  farm  oC  La  Belle  Alliance.  The  centre 
of  the  allied  position  crossed  tlie  two  roads  which,  from  Nivelles 
and  from  Charleroi,  conduct  to  Brussels.  These  roads  unite  at 
the  village  of  Mont  St.  Jean,  and  thence  pursue  the  same 
chaussee  to  that  capital. 

Upon  the  left  of  the  Nivelles  road,  in  front  of  the  right  centre, 
was  a  Flemish  mansion,  with  a  walled  garden,  having  a  small 
wood  and  a  paddock  attached  to  it.  This  post  being  at  the  angle, 
from  which  tlie  right  wing  stretched  "en  potence"  to  Merke 
Braine,  covered  the  return  of  that  flank,  and  was  the  great  key 
of  the  position. 

Upon  the  right  of  the  Charleroi  road,  immediately  in  front  of 
the  left  centre,  was  a  farm-house  and  yard,  which  covered  the 
approach  to  that  part  of  the  line. 

The  division  of  guards,  under  general  Cooke,  occupied  the 
mansion  of  Ifougonruont,  in  front  of  the  right  centre,  with  a  de- 
tachment of  three  companies,  and  was  drawn  up  on  the  rising 
ground  behind  and  above  that  post,  leaning  with  its  right  on  the 
road  of  Nivelles.  The  division  of  general  Alten  stoc3  with  its 
left  flank  upon  the  road  of  Charleroi,  and  held  the  farm  of  La 
Haye  Sainte,  in  front  of  tiie  letl  centre,  with  a  strong  detach- 
ment of  one  of  tlie  light  battalions  of  the  German  legion.  With 
this  division  were  the  Nassau  regiments,  some  in  the  front  line, 
and  one  of  light  infantry  detached  in  the  wood  of  Hougoumont. 
The  Brunswick  troops  were  disposed,  a  part  in  the  first  line,  and 
the  main  force  in  reserve  with  the  division  of  guards  under 
general  (y(X)ke.  The  whole  corps  was  commanded  by  the  prince 
of  Orange. 

The  right  wing  was  composed  of  the  British  divisions  of  gene-  . 
rals  Clinton  and  Colville;  of  two  of  Hanoverians;  and  one  of 
the  Netherlandcrs,  under  general  ('liausse.    This  force  occupied 
the  right  front  en  potence,  and  was  commanded  by  lord  Hill. 

The  left  wing  consisted  of  the  division  of  general  Picton, 
some  Hanoverian  troops  and  Netherlandcrs,  and  one  British 
brigade  under  general  Iviinbert.  This  wing  extended  from  the 
Charleroi  road  along  a  hedge  and  lane  uiHjn  the  rising  ground 
whicli  terminates  alxnc  Ter  la  Have.  That  hamlet,  as  also 
Smohain  and  the  farm  of  Papillotte,  which  lay  on  the  extreme 
left,  a  little  advanced  in  the  direction  of  tlie  wood  of  Fritecher- 
mont,  were  occupied  by  Noi^au  troops,  under  tlie  prince  of 
Weimar. 

The  whole  of  the  allied  cavalry  was  dispoeed  in  reserve,  or 
second  line,  under  lord  U.xbridge. 

The  army  of  the  duke  of  Wellington  mustered  about  74,(X)0 
men  ;  but  of  these  5(KH)  were  in  observation  on  tlie  cross  road 
near  Braine  le  Chftteau,  and  not  in  the  line.  The  force  of  Na- 
poleon then  in  presence  coimtcd  upwards  of  76,000  combatants. 


188  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  array  on  both  sides  was  magnificent.  The  infantry  of 
the  allies  was  formed  upon  the  firs^t  line,  in  close  columns  of 
battalions.  The  different  batteries  of  field  artillery  were  dis- 
tributed between  the  intervals,  or  disposed  along  the  front, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  ground.  The  cavalry  was  drawn 
up  in  columns  of  regiments,  by  half  squadrons,  at  quarter  dis- 
tance, upon  the  second  line ;  a^d  they  were  so  skilfully  disposed 
upon  the  reverse  slope  of  the  position,  that  their  distribution  was 
concealed  from  the  enemy. 

At  tlie  distance  of  about  a  mile  in  front  of  the  allied  position, 
and  nearly  parallel  with  it,  the  French  occupied  a  range  of  emi- 
nences rather  less  elevated,  and  more  undulating.  Their  right 
was  in  advance  of  Planchenois,  and  their  line  crossed  the  Char- 
leroi  road  at  the  farm  of  La  Belle  Alliance,  rested  its  left  on  the 
Genappe  road,  and  occupied  Mont  Plaisir  beyond  with  a  detach- 
ment. But  on  neither  side  did  the  ground  anywhere  present  a 
strong  profile :  it  was  commanding,  but  open  ;  good  for  defensive 
fire,  and  the  declivities  in  front  so  gentle  as  to  be  easily  ascended 
by  all  arms.  In  truth,  it  was  a  noble  field :  behind  the  allied 
position  stood  the  daik  forest  of  Soignies,  while  beyond  tiiat  of 
the  French  the  ground  rose  considerably,  and  was  skirted  by 
thick  woods.  Here,  in  the  grand  arena  of  this  solemn  amphi- 
theatre, upon  slopes  of  waving  corn,  in  the  garden  of  the  retired 
gentleman,  and  in  tiie  yard  of  the  quiet  husbandman,  was  to  be 
fought  the  great  battle  of  Europe  against  the  great  enemy  of 
the  happiness  and  the  peace  of  nations. 

Soon  after  ten  o'clock,  a  great  stir  was  observed  in  the  French 
lines.  From  one  particular  point,  where  there  was  a  heavy 
column  of  infantry  under  arms,  mounted  officers  were  observed 
galloping  in  various  directions  as  with  orders,  and  others  were 
seen  riding  up  to  it  v.ith  reports.  This  it  was  soon  ascertained 
was  the  post  of  Napoleon,  and  that  column  was  his  famous  guard. 
It  was  a  fine  plateau,  on  the  side  of  the  chau^ee,  near  the  soli- 
tary farm  of  Rossome. 

The  principal  post  of  the  duke  of  Wellington  at  this  moment, 
and  throughout  the  battle  indeed,  was  near  a  remarkable  tree 
in  the  centre  of  his  position.  For  there  were  some  weak  points 
in  his  centre,  the  defence  of  which  it  was  necessary  to  watch 
and  provide  for  with  all  vigilance,  and  with  a  close  superintend- 
ence in  person. 

The  enemy's  masses  now  rapidly  formed  in  columns  of  attack. 
About  half  an  hour  before  noon  a  considerable  corps  made  a 
furious  attack  upon  Hougoumont.  They  came  on,  preceded  by 
a  cloud  of  voltigeurs,  with  loud  shouts  and  hot  impetuosity.  The 
Nassau  soldiers  were  unable  to  defend  the  wood  against  this 
violent  attack.    The  intrepid  assailants  fought  their  way  into  the 


THE  DUKR  OF  WELLINGTON.  ISQf 

grounds,  surrounded  the  house  on  three  sides,  and  made  desperate 
efiorts  to  force  it :  but  it  was  resohijely  defended  by  the  guards, 
who,  from  the  loopholed  walls  of  the  building,  and  the  garden, 
poured  so  steady,  rapid,  and  destructive  a  fire  upon  the  enemy, 
that  all  the  space  about  was  covered  with  their  killed  and 
wounded,  and  they  were  compelled  to  desist  from  their  brave 
attempt.  Meantime,  the  duke  of  Wellington  sent  fresh  troops 
to  recover  the  wood  and  garden :  and,  after  a  severe  combat, 
and  at  a  great  cost  of  live;?,  the  Coldstream  and  tiiird  Guards 
drove  out  the  enemy,  and  re-established  that  post.  The  point 
was  yet  again  and  repeatedly  assailed  by  fresh  attacks.  Nothing 
could  be  more  stubborn  than  the  defence  of  this  chateau ;  the 
gate  of  the  yard  was  at  one  time  half  forced  in,  but  the  French 
were  bayoneted  back  again,  and  afterwards  the  roof  and  the 
upper  walls  were  sst  on  tire  by  shells  from  the  French  batteries; 
^ill,  amid  the  flames,  the  building  itself  was  heroically  defended. 
The  whole  of  one  brigade  of  guards  was  employed  in  relief  at 
Hougoumont  in  the  course  of  the  battle. 

Simultaneously  with  the  attack  of  Hougoumont,  the  whole 
of  the  enemy's  artillery  had  opened  upon  the  line  of  the  allies, 
and  a  skirmish  of  light  troops  connnenced  on  the  extreme  left 
at  Papillotte.  Of  this  firm,  of  Smohain,  and  of  the  hamlet  of 
Ter  la  Haye,  they  soon  got  possession.  This  terrible  cannonade 
waa  piiiicipally  (lirecte.i  against  the  right  and  centre  of  the 
allies,  and  it  was  well  replied  to  by  the  British  guns.  The  ad- 
vanced l)atterie3  of  the  centre,  in  pTrticnlar,  made  fast  and  fatal 
practice  with  case-shot  ujwn  the  columns  which  fcd  the  attack 
of  Hougoumont.  Napoleon,  seeing  that  the  assault  of  Hougou- 
mont had  (]uite  failed,  continued  his  tremendous  artillery  fire, 
and,  under  cover  of  it,  he  directed  a  weighty  and  formidable 
attack  u|Km  the  left  centre,  witti  infantry  anii  cavalry  in  such 
numbers,  that  it  required  all  the  readiness  and  skill  of  tlie  duke 
so  to  post  his  troops,  that  they  migijt  meet  it  with  the  best  ad- 
vantage ;  and  demanded  on  their  part  discipline  the  most  finn, 
and  bravery  undaunted.. 

A  strong  column  of  the  enemy,  ia  two  divisions,  covered  by 
the  fire  of  eighty  pieces  of  artillery,  now  advanced,  and,  ascend- 
ing at  that  part  where  a  RMginn  brigade  was  jiosted  along  a 
hedge,  penetrated  at  that  point,  drcjve  back  the  Belgian  soldiers, 
and  pushed  to  the  crest  of  tlie  position.  But  they  were  not  suf- 
fered to  establish  theinselve.-^.  Cioneral  Kempt  advanced  rapidly 
upon  this  massive  column  with  three  weak  British  regiments  in 
line,  poured  in  his  fire,  and  heroically  charged  it.  This  brigade  had 
lost  800  men  nt  Qiiatre  Bra.s  and  it  |)erform(;d  this  valiant  action 
without  supiK)rt,  and  sustaining  a  heavy  loss.  At  the  .sjimc  time 
the  brigade  of  general  I'ack  from  the  extreme  leflof  the  position 


190  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OP 

advanced  upon  the  right  division  of  this  column  with  fire  and 
with  the  bayonet.  Appalled  at  finding  themselves  thus  boldly 
met,  these  strong  bodies  of  the  enemy,  after  delivering  their  fire, 
turned  and  fled  down  the  declivity.  It  was  in  this  combat  that 
the  zealous  and  gallant  Picton  was  slain :  a  musket-ball  struck 
his  right  temple,  and  passed  through  his  brain,  and  he  fell 
dead. 

At  the  moment  of  this  repulse,  general  Ponsonby,  with  hig 
brigade  of  heavy  dragoons,  made  so  vigorous  a  charge,  that  they 
took  two  eagles,  and  made  two  or  three  thousand  prisoners. 

A  strong  column  of  French  cavalry  led  by  cuirassiers  now 
rushed  forward  to  cover  their  routed  and  flying  infantry  on  one 
flank,  while  some  lancers  charged  upon  the  other.  The  dragoons 
of  Ponsonby's  brigade  being  far  on,  for  they  had  charged  up  to 
the  very  guns  which  had  covered  the  infantry,  and  sabred  the 
cannoneers,  were  thus  immediately  engaged  in  a  fierce  and  un- 
equal melee ;  but  they  fought  with  such  spirit  and  ardor,  that  it 
was  before  they  retired  the  Royals  took  one  of  the  eagles  in  the 
conflict. 

In  this  affair  the  brave  general  Ponsonby  was  come  upon  at  a 
disadvantage  by  a  party  of  Polish  lancers,  as  he  was  crossing 
some  stiff"  ground,  where  his  horse  stuck,  with  nobody  but  his 
aid-de-camp,  and  they,  nfiver  givinff  quarter,  immediately  took 
his  life. 

Notwithstanding  the  repulse  which  the  enemy's  right  corps 
had  received,  he  persisted  in  a  most  obstinate  attack  of  the  farm 
of  La  Haye  Sainte,  and  supported  his  infantry  columns  with  a 
division  of  cuirassiers.  Against  these  last  the  earl  of  Uxbridge 
led  on  lord  E.  Somerset's  noble  brigade  of  life-guards.  The 
cuirassiers  met  them  sword  to  sword :  the  melee  was  most 
bloody ;  but  the  weighty  cut  and  strong  point  of  the  English 
troopers  carried  all  before  them ;  and  the  cuirassiers,  in  spite  of 
their  defensive  armor,  were  fairly  beaten  in  those  contests. 

The  enemy's  infantry,  however,  did  at  last  carry  the  farm- 
house of  La  Ilaye  Sainte,  for  the  Germans  had  expended  all 
their  ammunition,  had  nothing  but  their  bayonets  left,  and  were 
therefore  overpowered ;  and  the  enemy  getting  in  gave  them  no 
quarter.  He  was  now  enabled  to  assemble  the  masses  of  his 
cavalry  close  under  the  allied  position,  and  more  sheltered  from 
their  guns. 

From  this  period  of  the  battle  to  the  close.  Napoleon  exhausted 
all  his  means  of  destruction  in  attacks,  frequently  and  fiercely 
repeated,  by  horse  and  foot,  and  supported  them  by  the  fire  of  all 
his  batteries.  More  than  200  guns  roared  and  thundered  upon 
the  allied  position.  The  fire  was  so  deadly,  that  the  duke  of 
Wellington  directed  his  columns  to  retire  beyond  the  exposed 


THE  DUKE  OF  <VELLINGTON.  191 

ridge,  and  lie  upon  the  ground,  till,  upon  the  close  advance  of 
the  enemy's  masses  of  cavalry,  they  got  the  caution  to  stand  up 
in  squares,  advance,  and  receive  the  charge.  Repeatedly  did 
the  enemy's  cavalry  dash  up  on  the  very  centre  of  the  position, 
with  vain  intrepidity  and  useless  devotion.  By  the  steady  vol- 
leys of  the  British  squares,  the  flower  of  the  French  cavalry  was 
destroyed.  Nothing  could  shake  the  steadiness  of  these  squares, 
nothing  could  daunt  the  valor  of  their  assailants.  In  vain  the 
French  horse  sent  skirmishers  to  fire  their  carbines  and  pistols 
at  this  infantry ;  in  vain  did  gallant  men  ride  close  up,  and  round 
the  squares,  tempting  them  to  throw  away  their  fire.  They 
heeded  nothing  but  the  actual  charge,  and  waiting  for  the  word 
till  the  scjuadrons  were  close  up,  always  repulsed  them  by  their 
musketry.  More  than  once  the  French  cavalry  had  possession 
of  the  British  guns  on  tiie  brow  of  the  position.  They  were 
never  withdrawn.  The  horses  only  were  taken  to  the  rear ;  and 
the  gunners,  having  fired  them  to  the  latest  moment,  took  refuge 
in  the  squares,  and  were  out  again  and  pursuing  the  enemy  with 
case-shot  or  bullets,  as  soon  as  ever  they  had  been  repulsed. 
Never  on  any  field  was  an  artillery  more  admirably  served 
throughout  tlie  day  than  the  British.  Numbering  little  more 
than  half  the  guns  embattled  by  Napoleon,  they  answered  that 
heavy  fire  with  a  force  and  rapidity,  and  a  terrible  e.xocution, 
that  the  havoc  in  the  French  colunms  most  truly  declared.  The 
incessant  roar  of  cannon  on  both  sides  for  so  many  hours  gave 
to  this  battle  a  stern  and  awful  peculiarity,  and  suited  well  with 
the  deadly  severity  of  all  those  combats  where  the  hostile  soldiers 
came  in  contact. 

The  farm  of  Ia  Ilayc  Sainte  had  been  taken,  about  three 
o'clock,  and  it  was  after  tliis  periotl  that  the  enemy  made  those 
repeated  attacks  on  the  British  position  between  the  two  roads. 
While  the  contest  was  still  continued  at  tlic  chAteau  of  llougou- 
mont,  the  battle  raged  upon  the  plateau  above  and  behind  that 
post,  where  the  guards  under  general  Maitland  sustained  repeat- 
ed charges  of  cavalry,  wore  e.xixwed  to  a  heavy  cannonade,  and, 
pushing  forward  their  squares  as  tiin  Frencli  horse  drew  off, 
were  engaged  with  the  columns  of  infimtry  that  supprted  these 
attacks.  All  along  that  plateau  to  the  Ciiarlcroi  road,  the  ground 
was  stubbornly  contested  in  the  .same  manner;  the  infiintry  now 
retiring  a  short  distance,  and  lying  tlown  to  avoid  tiie  terrible 
fire  of  the  artillery, — now  springing  up  and  advancing  in  echel- 
lons  of  s<]nares  to  re[)ulse  tlie  cavalry,  and  occasionally  pushing 
so  far  down  the  slojje  as  to  engage  the  infantry.  The  cavalry, 
who  had  executed  brilliant  charges  during  the  earlier  part  of  tlie 
day,  were,  during  these  coinbaLs  kept  for  the  most  part  in  re- 
serve ;  but,  as  opportunity  offered,  they  charged  all  such  of  the 


192  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

enemy's  horse  as  forced  througli  tlie  intervals  of  the  squares; 
and  the  earl  of  Uxbridge,  who  led  almost  every  attack  of  the 
British  cavalry,  kept  an  eager  look-out.  In  the  midst  of  this 
terrible  conflict,  the  duke  of  Wellington,  from  his  principal  post 
near  the  tree,  commanded  every  movement,  formation,  and  ad- 
vance of  the  enemy,  piercing  through  the  smoke  of  battle  with 
an  eagle's  eye.  From  hence  he  flew  wherever  a  difficulty  de- 
manded him.  When  the  enemy  concentrated  their  artillery  in 
front  of  La  Belle  Alliance,  and  poured  so  terrible  a  fire  upon  our 
centre,  he  disposed  the  squares  behind  the  ridge  in  shelter,  and 
he,  exposing  himself  to  that  hot  storm,  was  the  first  to  warn 
them  as  the  attacking  bodies  advanced. 

When  the  cavalry  of  the  enemy  took  some  guns  on  the  brow 
of  our  position,  he,  advancing  with  a  brigade  of  English  and 
Brunswickers,  instantly  drove  them  off,  and  compelled  them  to 
abandon  their  capture. 

As  yet,  however,  the  battle  was  undecided  and  doubtful ;  not 
a  point  of  the  position,  indeed,  had  been  lost, — not  a  square 
broken.  The  enemy  had  been  constantly  repulsed,  and  had  suf- 
fered great  losses :  but  the  loss  on  our  part  had  been  horrid, — 
the  ranks  were  thinned, — for  superior  numbers  and  superior 
artillery  had  been  brought  to  bear  upon  the  British  for  many 
hours.  Hitherto  the  Prussians  had  not  appeared,  and  it  was  five 
in  the  evening.  Accounts  had  been  received,  indeed,  that  the 
corps  of  Bulovv  had  arrived  at  St.  Lambert,  and  that  Blucher 
was  moving  up  from  Wavre  with  another ;  but  their  march  had 
been  delayed  by  the  state  of  the  roads  and  by  the  number  of 
their  guns,  therefore  the  only  diversion  they  had  caused  as  yet, 
was  by  a  few  weak  patrols  of  horse,  which  Jiad  appeared  in  the 
wood  of  Fritschermont  on  the  right  of  the  French  army,  and 
occupied  the  attention  of  a  brigade  of  light  cavalry  detached  to 
observe  them.  However,  a  little  after  five,  the  fire  of  Prussian 
artillery  in  that  quarter  was  discerned  from  the  British  position  ; 
but  it  soon  appeared  to  retire  and  cease.  It  seems  that  Bulow, 
who  had  only  two  brigades  and  a  corps  of  cavalry  up,  had  ad- 
vanced at  that  time,  but  was  compelled  to  retire  again ;  and  that 
a  corps  of  French,  under  count  Lobau,  had  been  directed  upon 
the  rear  of  the  French  right  to  hold  Bulow  in  check. 

Between  five  and  six,  as  a  renewal  of  the  attack  on  the  weak 
part  of  the  position  near  La  Haye  Saintc  appeared  certain,  two 
brigades  were  brought  forward  from  lord  Hill's  corps  to  the 
centre  front.  There  was  on  both  sides  an  anxious  pause.  The 
artillery  still  thundered;  but  the  last  struggle, — the  crisis  of 
the  battle,  was  to  come. 

When,  at  three  o'clock.  Napoleon  had  carried  the  small  post 
of  La  Haye  Sainte,  and  had  placed  a  mass  of  troops  well  under 


THE  DUKE  OP  WEIXINQTON.  193 

the  BwgHali  positi(m,  he  considered  a  victory  certain,  and  sent  a 
courier  to  Paris  to  announce  his  success.  But  when  he  now 
found  that  in  five  hours'  fighting  he  had  not  made  the  slightest 
impression  on  the  main  position,  and  that  Hougoumont,  the  key 
of  It,  was  not  carried ; — that  he  had  prodigally  expended  a  noble 
cavalry,  and  had  lost  15,000  fine  soldiers  of  all  arms ; — that  the 
Prussians  were  hurrying  to  the  scene  of  action,  and  some  were 
actually  already  engaging  on  his  flank ;  the  serenity  which  he  had 
hitherto  preserved  forsook  him.  A  fine  and  orderly  retreat  was  no 
longer  possible.  Neither  did  it  belong  to  the  desperate  state  of 
things  at  that  moment  to  entertain  such  an  idea.  One  last  hope 
remained  to  him.  The  guard  had  as  yet  made  no  attack.  This 
noble  reserve  (of  which  it  used  to  be  his  pride  in  the  days  of  his 
victorious  wars  in  Germany,  when  he  announced  his  successes, 
to  say,  "  La  Garde  n'a  pas  donne")  he  now  led  forward  in  person 
to  the  foot  of  the  allied  position.  He  here  rode  a  few  paces 
aside  under  a  sheltering  swell  of  ground ;  and  the  resolute  and 
stem  column  passed  on,  turning  their  eyes  upon  him  (for  the  last 
time)  with  something  of  severity  and  regret.  This  was  about 
seven  o'clock.  They  advanced  in  two  columns,  leaving  four 
battalions  of  the  old  guard  in  reserve:  they  were  led  by  Ney. 
The  advance  of  these  intrepid  veterans  was  supportetl  by  a  heavy 
cannonade ;  and  at  the  same  time  some  light  troops  were  pushed 
on  against  La  Haye  upon  their  right.  General  Maitland's 
brigade  of  guards,  and  general  Adam's  brigade  from  the  right 
corps,  were  immediately  moved  forward  over  the  brow  of  the 
position  to  meet  this  attack  by  the  duke  in  person.  By  his  ex- 
press order  they  were  formed  four  deep,  and  their  line  was 
flanked  by  artillery.  Steady  and  cool  they  stood ;  and  the  im- 
perial guard  ascended  the  slope,  under  the  destructive  fire  of  the 
guns,  in  gallant  order,  with  supported  arms.  The  fire  of  the 
British  infantry  now  opened  with  great  effect;  and  was  sustained 
fast,  and  without  the  intermission  of  one  second.  Within  about 
fifly  yards  of  the  English  line  the  guard  paused,  and  attempted 
to  deploy ;  but  under  such  a  fire  it  was  not  possible.  Beyond 
that  point  they  never  planted  one  footstep.  The  extremities  of 
the  Ime  opposed  to  them  were  enveloping  their  flanks;  they  got 
mixed  together  in  a  crowded  mass ;  their  formation  was  broken ; 
and  giving  way,  they  hurried  down  the  face  of  the  position  in 
utter  confusion.  During  this  last  effort,  at  a  pouit  very  near,  a 
body  of  Brunswickers  was  driven  back  by  a  column  of  the  enemy 
from  the  ground  where  they  were  posted.  The  duke  was  instant- 
ly at  their  head ;  rallied  them,  and  restored  the  combat 

However,  by  the  defeat  of  the  imperial  guard  in  their  attack 
on  the  British,  the  battle  was  already  decided ;  and  the  duke  of 
Wellington,  now  seeing  the  Prussians  well  up  and  engaged  on 

Vou\l.  R 


194  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  enemy's  right,  and  their  columns  sweeping  down  into  the 
plain  from  the  forest  upon  the  British  left,  ordered  a  general 
advance  of  the  whole  line. 

He  led  and  directed  this  movement  in  person,  with  his  hat  off, 
at  the  head  of  the  British  guards.  The  four  battalions  of  the  oid 
guard  in  reserve  had  formed  squares,  flanked  by  guns  and  sup- 
ported by  some  lancers  of  the  guard  and  attempted  a  regular 
retreat ;  but  already  the  whole  army  was  in  confusion.  "  Sauve 
qui  pent"  was  on  all  sides  the  cry ;  entire  columns  broke,  threw 
down  then-  arms,  and  ran  for  their  lives;  and  as  our  line  advanced, 
this  old  guard,  the  only  body  still  preserving  a  formation,  gave 
way,  and  the  rout,  confusion,  and  terror  were  complete.  Dis- 
ordered, broke,  and  trampled  down,  they  fled  or  fell  before  their 
pursuers,  wlio,  with  the  wild  hurrah  of  conquest,  were  hurrying 
at  their  heels. 

The  British  army  having  crowned  the  position  which  the 
enemy  had  occupied  all  day,  halted  upon  the  field  of  battle. 
The  Prussians,  being  fresh,  pursued  the  French  all  night,  with 
such  vigor  that  they  never  rallied  a  single  battalion.  As  soon  as 
ever  Buonaparte  saw  the  repulse  of  the  last  attack  which  he  had 
directed,  he  rode  off  the  field,  and  consulted  his  safety  by  flight. 
It  was  already  the  last  faint  light  of  evening,  and  clouds  of 
smoke  were  obscuring  all  objects  when  he  fled. 

Here  the  sun  of  that  false  glory,  by  the  brightness  of  whose 
meridian  rays  he  had  dazzled  the  nations  of  Europe,  set  suddenly 
and  for  ever  in  darkness  and  blood. 

The  duke  of  Wellington  and  Blucher  met  at  the  farm  of  La 
Belle  Alliance  soon  afl;er  nightfall;  and  the  Prussian  veteran 
embraced  him  with  most  hearty  congratulations,  which  were 
warmly  returned.  Blucher  had  rendered  great  service,  and  his 
movements,  though  retarded  by  circumstances  he  could  not  con- 
trol, were  made  with  masterly  decision.  Disregarding  Grouchy 
on  his  rear,  he  had  pressed  on  with  skilful  judgment  and  hearty 
good -will  to  the  field  of  Waterloo.  It  was  now  late,  and  as 
Blucher  undertook  to  send  his  last  horse  and  last  man  in  pursuit, 
the  duke  of  Wellington  returned  to  his  head-quarters  at  Waterloo. 
He  passed  back  over  the  waste  field  of  mud  and  gore  where  the 
dead  lay  in  their  mournful  honor  by  the  light  of  the  moon.  Of  the 
British  and  German  Legion  alone  more  than  11,000  men  and 
700  officers  had  fallen  killed  or  wounded.  Most  of  the  duke's 
personal  staff  had  been  struck  down.  Lord  Fitzroy  Somerset  was 
severely  wounded;  the  honorable  Sir  Alexander  Gordon  was 
killed ;  Picton,  so  valued  in  Spain,  was  dead ;  Ponsonby,  after 
doing  great  things,  had  fallen  cruelly ;  the  duke  of  Brunswick 
slain  (at  Quatre  Bras) ;  the  prince  of  Orange  and  the  earl  of 
Uxbridge  had  been  wounded,  the  latter  severely.    The  corps  of 


THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINCrON.  195 

lord  Hill  was  not  generally  en^ged,  but  he  had  rendered  good 
service  in  person  with  such  of  his  people  as  were  brought  into 
action,  and  was  vigilant  for  opportunity.  After  Picton's  death, 
general  Kempt  commanded  on  the  left  for  hours  with  great 
firmness  and  skill. 

The  loss  of  tlic  enemy  cannot  be  known :  it  was  enormous, 
and  they  abandoned  all  their  artillery ;  in  fact,  the  whole  field 
was  desolate  as  a  shore  after  a  hurricane  covered  with  many 
wrecks.  With  this  triumph  we  close  the  military  memoir  of  the 
honored  and  illustrious  duke  of  Wellington. 

The  consequences  of  the  victory  may  be  soon  told.  In  one  day 
the  strong  army  of  the  warlike  and  ambitious  Buonaparte  was 
overthrown,  and  utterly  destroyed  ;  and  his  power,  always  em- 
ployed upon  the  work  of  blood  and  conquest,  was  laid  prostrate 
for  ever.  Peace,  the  true  end  of  all  rightful  wars,  was  restored 
to  England  and  to  all  Europe.  The  allies  again  marched  to 
Paris  ;  Buonaparte,  after  attempting  a  delusive  and  conditional 
abdication  in  favor  of  his  son,  fled ;  and  finding  escape  to  America 
impossible,  surrendered  himself  to  the  English.  Thus  Louis  once 
more  ascended  the  throne  of  his  ancestors. 

Upon  the  night  of  tlic  memorable  battle,  of  wliich  these  were 
the  early  fruits,  the  words  and  emotions  of  tlie  conqueror  will 
long  be  remembered  by  those  who  sate  witii  him  at  supper,  after 
the  anxious  and  awful  day  had  closed.  The  fountaui  of  a  great 
heart  lies  deep,  and  the  self-government  of  a  calm  mind  permits 
no  tears.  But  this  niglit,  Wellington  repeatedly  leaned  back 
upon  his  chair,  and  rubbing  his  hands  convulsively,  exclaimed 
aloud,  "Thank  God,  I  have  met  him."  "Thank  God,  I  have 
met  him."  And,  ever  as  he  spoke,  the  smile  that  liglited  up  his 
eye  was  immediately  dimmed  by  those  few  and  big  tears  that 
gush  warm  from  a  grateful  lieart 

Those  many  and  deep  anxieties,  to  which  all  his  late  heavy 
responsibility  of  necessity  gave  birtli :  his  noble  desire  as  a 
patriot  to  defeat  the  most  powerful  and  most  implacable  enemy 
of  his  native  country ;  his  rational  doubts  of  success  against  a 
general  of  experience  so  great,  genius  so  acknowledged  (and  by 
none  so  truly  estimated  as  by  himself),  and  fortune  so  singular ; 
all  that  cannot  be  known  to  any  one  of  the  lears  and  hopes 
which  had  been  pent  up  in  liis  own  bosom ; — all  these  were  now 
resolved,  and  dissipated  by  a  result  sudden,  full,  and  glorious 
beyond  any  expectation  he  could  jxjssibly  liave  formed,  or  any 
hope  he  could  have  admitted.  The  foe  of  England  and  of  liberty 
was  again  a  fugitive,  his  power  prostrate,  his  brave  and  devoted 
legions  destroyed.  England,  which  he  had  served  so  faithfully, 
and  loved  so  well,  was  placed  upon  the  very  pmnaclc  of  glory ; 
and  her  valiant  army,  wliich  he  had  disciplined  to  conquest  on 


196  MILITARY  MEMOIRS  OF  WELLINGTON. 

the  battle-fields  of  Spain,  and  which  upon  this  day  be  bad  com* 
manded  witfi  a  moral  firmness  never  surpassed,  was  the  honored 
instrument  of  her  elevation.  Long  acknowledged  as  queen  of 
the  sea,  she  now  stood  foremost  in  military  fame.  This  work 
under  the  blessing  of  God  was  his :  he  could  look  around  and 
say,  "  It  is  my  work." 

The  hidden  fire  of  his  heart  had  long  been  a  prayer,  and  the 
tears  which  he  now  shed  were — a  thanksgiving.  We  do  not 
mean  such  prayer  or  such  thanksgiving  as  would  have  flowed 
from  the  informed  conscience  and  the  impressed  aifections  of 
Gustavus  Adolphus ;  but,  we  do  mean,  a  secret  and  silent  trust 
in  Providence,  and  a  sincere  though  brief  recognition  of  its  aid. 
Gustavus,  looking  above  this  world,  died  early,  and  was  ripe  for 
death.  The  life  of  the  duke  of  Wellington  has  been  long  pre- 
served, and  has  been  passed  upon  the  exposed  summit  of  human 
honors.  May  God  long  be  his  "  shield,"  and  so  teach  him,  that, 
in  that  land,  where  the  ducal  crown  and  the  conqueror's  laurels 
caimot  enter,  he  may  find,  and  enjoy,  the  true  and  "  exoeedimg 

GREAT  reward!" 


THE  END. 


m 


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<^^*^^ 

V 

DEC  6  1341 

3KpT52D\N,.^ 

1 

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REC'P  LD 

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50m-7,'29 

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